Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 20

उत्पातवर्णनम् / Description of Portents at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice

Devanagari script

सवैकुंठास्ततस्सर्वे तदा कुंठितशक्तयः । स्वस्वोपकंठमाकंठं लुलुठुः कमठा इव

Transliteration

savaikuṃṭhāstatassarve tadā kuṃṭhitaśaktayaḥ | svasvopakaṃṭhamākaṃṭhaṃ luluṭhuḥ kamaṭhā iva

Translation

Alors tous —bien qu’ils demeurassent dans leurs propres demeures célestes, jusque dans Vaikuṇṭha— virent leurs pouvoirs s’émousser. Chacun, s’affaissant près de son lieu, gisait abattu jusqu’à la gorge, tels des tortues rentrées et sans défense.

Word by Word

• sa-vaikuṇṭhāḥ: together with Vaikuṇṭha (all of them)
• sa-vaikuṇṭhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह/स-प्रातिपदिक) + vaikuṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि ‘along with Vaikuṇṭha (i.e., including Vaikuṇṭha/its beings)’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (काल-अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; temporal adverb

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; substantive ‘all’

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Kāla (काल-अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; temporal adverb (at that time)

• kuṇṭhita-śaktayaḥ: with weakened powers
• kuṇṭhita-śaktayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuṇṭhita (प्रातिपदिक; from कुṇṭh ‘to blunt’ as PPP) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय ‘whose powers are blunted’

• sva-sva-upakaṇṭham: each one’s own neighborhood
• sva-sva-upakaṇṭham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + sva (प्रातिपदिक) + upakaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास; ‘each one’s own vicinity/nearby place’ (collective object)

• ā-kaṇṭham: up to the throat (neck-deep)
• ā-kaṇṭham: Prakāra (प्रकार-अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययार्थे ‘up to the throat/neck-deep’

• luluṭhuḥ: rolled about
• luluṭhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: luṭh (लुठ् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kamaṭhāḥ: tortoises
• kamaṭhāḥ: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kamaṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; subject-complement in simile

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā (उपमा-अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Satīkhaṇḍa account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Devas’ powers become obstructed as a foreboding sign preceding Śiva-related retribution in the Dakṣa episode

Characters & Entities

• Devas

FAQs

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

It shows that worldly or even heavenly authority is not self-sustaining: when divine order is disturbed, the devas’ capacities become ‘kuṇṭhita’ (obstructed). In Shaiva Siddhanta, true efficacy arises through Pati (Shiva) and His anugraha; without that grace, even exalted beings fall into helplessness.

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

The devas’ collapse implies that protection and restoration come from approaching Shiva in accessible form—Saguna worship such as Linga-arcana—through which grace is invoked. The Linga signifies Shiva as the supreme support beyond fluctuating cosmic powers.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is humble refuge in Shiva through japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady Linga worship; these are traditional means to seek anugraha when one’s own ‘śakti’ feels obstructed.