Shloka 4

आवरणपूजावर्णनम् (Āvaraṇa-pūjā-varṇanam) — Description of Enclosure/Layered Worship

Devanagari script

पश्चिमे च ततस्तस्मिन्षडंगानि समर्चयेत । आग्नेये च तथैशाने नैरृते वायुदेशके

Transliteration

paścime ca tatastasminṣaḍaṃgāni samarcayeta | āgneye ca tathaiśāne nairṛte vāyudeśake

Translation

Ensuite, dans ce quartier occidental, on doit vénérer comme il se doit les six auxiliaires (ṣaḍaṅga). De même, au sud-est, au nord-est, au sud-ouest et dans le quartier de Vāyu, qu’on accomplisse le même culte selon leurs directions respectives.

Word by Word

• paścime: in the west (western direction)
• paścime: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (काल/क्रमवाचक अव्यय)

• tasmin: in that (place/point)
• tasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; Pronoun (सर्वनाम)

• ṣaṭ-aṃgāni: the six limbs (sixfold parts)
• ṣaṭ-aṃgāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Plural (बहुवचन); Dvigu compound (द्विगु-समास) meaning a set of six limbs

• sam-arcayet: should worship/offer reverence to
• sam-arcayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam√arc (अर्च् धातु)
• Form: Optative/विधिलिङ्, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• āgneye: in the southeast (Agni corner)
• āgneye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgneya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• tathā: likewise/so
• tathā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (प्रकारवाचक अव्यय)

• īśāne: in the northeast (Īśāna corner)
• īśāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• nairṛte: in the southwest (Nairṛta corner)
• nairṛte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nairṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• vāyu-deśake: in the Vāyu region (northwest)
• vāyu-deśake: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक) + deśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध) sense: ‘region of Vāyu’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Kailasha Samhita’s ritual instructions to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Mantra Metadata

Type: kavaca

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vayu
• Agni
• Ishana
• Nirriti

FAQs

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

It emphasizes that Shiva-worship is not casual but consecrated: the practitioner sanctifies the body and space through the ṣaḍaṅga (six auxiliaries) and aligns worship with cosmic order (dik), turning the ritual into an integrated, disciplined approach to grace (śiva-anugraha).

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

In Linga-puja, the ṣaḍaṅga functions as a protective and empowering framework (nyāsa/anga-samarcana) around Saguna Shiva’s worship—establishing mantra, purity, and directional sanctity so the devotee approaches the Linga with right orientation and reverence.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform ṣaḍaṅga-nyāsa/ṣaḍaṅga-arcana—worshipping hṛdaya, śiras, śikhā, kavaca, netra, and astra—while honoring prescribed directions (west, Agni, Īśāna, Nirṛti, and Vāyu), typically alongside Shiva-mantra japa (often the Panchakshara).