Shloka 30

न्यासवर्णनम् (Nyāsa-varṇanam) — Description of Nyāsa in the Saṃnyāsa Procedure

Devanagari script

अर्को ब्रह्मा तथा रुद्रो विष्णुश्चेति पुनः प्रिये । ईशानादिषु संपूज्यास्तृतीयावरणे पुनः

Transliteration

arko brahmā tathā rudro viṣṇuśceti punaḥ priye | īśānādiṣu saṃpūjyāstṛtīyāvaraṇe punaḥ

Translation

« De nouveau, ô bien-aimée, (adore) Arka (le Soleil), Brahmā, Rudra et Viṣṇu. Qu’ils soient honorés comme il se doit aux emplacements commençant par Īśāna, dans la troisième enceinte (āvaraṇa), une fois encore. »

Word by Word

• arkaḥ: Arka (Sun)
• arkaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative), Ekavacana

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction/adverb ‘also/likewise’

• rudraḥ: Rudra
• rudraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• iti: thus/namely
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotative/enumerative particle

• punaḥ: again/further
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘again/further’

• priye: O dear (one)
• priye: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana

• īśāna-ādiṣu: in Īśāna and the others
• īśāna-ādiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative), Bahuvacana; ‘in Īśāna etc. (directions/deities)’

• saṃpūjyāḥ: to be worshipped properly
• saṃpūjyāḥ: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (विधेयविशेषण/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-pūj (धातु) + -ya (कृत्, यत्)
• Form: Kṛtya gerundive; Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; ‘to be duly worshipped’

• tṛtīya-āvaraṇe: in the third enclosure
• tṛtīya-āvaraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīya (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative), Ekavacana; ‘in the third enclosure’

• punaḥ: again/further
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘again/further’

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: arko brahmā tathā rudro viṣṇuḥ

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Brahma
• Rudra
• Surya (Arka)
• Ishana

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that in Śiva-centered worship, other cosmic powers (Sun, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra) are honored as functional deities within the sacred maṇḍala, while Śiva remains the supreme Pati; this integrates the cosmos into a single, ordered act of devotion.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse describes āvaraṇa-pūjā—worship in concentric “enclosures” around the central deity—implying the Liṅga/Saguṇa Śiva as the axis. The surrounding deities are placed and revered in directional seats (starting with Īśāna), showing the Liṅga as the center of the devotional universe.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform third-āvaraṇa worship by invoking and offering to Arka, Brahmā, Rudra, and Viṣṇu in their prescribed directional positions beginning with Īśāna; accompany offerings with mantra-japa (especially Śiva-mantras such as the Pañcākṣarī) while maintaining inward concentration on Śiva as the indwelling Lord.