Shloka 31

नारदप्रश्नवर्णन (Nāradapraśna-varṇana) — “Account of Nārada’s Inquiry”

Devanagari script

तस्याविर्भावमाख्याहि चरितानि विशेषतः । उमाविर्भावमाख्याहि तद्विवाहं तथा विभो

Transliteration

tasyāvirbhāvamākhyāhi caritāni viśeṣataḥ | umāvirbhāvamākhyāhi tadvivāhaṃ tathā vibho

Translation

Ô Seigneur, raconte en détail la manifestation de Lui (Śiva) et, tout particulièrement, ses actes sacrés. Décris aussi la manifestation d’Umā, ainsi que le récit de leur mariage divin, ô Puissant.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; pronoun

• āvirbhāvam: manifestation, appearance
• āvirbhāvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āvirbhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• ākhyāhi: tell, describe
• ākhyāhi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-khyā (ख्या धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्; imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• caritāni: deeds, exploits
• caritāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक; from चर्)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• viśeṣataḥ: in detail, especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Manner adverb (प्रकारवाचक)

• umā-āvirbhāvam: Umā’s manifestation
• umā-āvirbhāvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक) + āvirbhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa ‘umāyāḥ āvirbhāvaḥ’

• ākhyāhi: tell
• ākhyāhi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-khyā (ख्या धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्; imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• tat-vivāham: that marriage
• tat-vivāham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + vivāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa ‘tasya vivāhaḥ’

• tathā: also, likewise
• tathā: Samuccaya/Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (समुच्चय/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Conjunctive adverb (समुच्चयार्थ)

• vibho: O Lord
• vibho: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (vocative), Ekavacana

Speaker

The sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (led by Śaunaka) addressing Sūta Gosvāmin

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Programmatic request for the āvirbhāva (manifestation) narratives of Śiva and Umā and their vivāha; such kathā commonly grounds later tīrtha-māhātmyas and temple lineages, though no single jyotirliṅga is specified here.

Significance: Hearing (śravaṇa) of Śiva-Umā āvirbhāva and vivāha is treated as purifying and devotion-awakening, preparing the paśu for anugraha.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Umā

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati (Uma)

FAQs

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

The verse shows that hearing (śravaṇa) the Lord’s āvirbhāva (manifestation) and carita (divine deeds) is itself a path of bhakti that purifies the soul and turns the mind toward Pati (Śiva), the liberating Lord.

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

By requesting Shiva’s manifested deeds and the narrative of Uma, the verse emphasizes Saguna Shiva—Shiva known through form, qualities, and līlā—whose grace is accessed through devotion, worship, and sacred storytelling that supports Linga-bhakti.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is kathā-śravaṇa and smaraṇa (listening to and contemplating Shiva–Umā’s story) as a devotional discipline, ideally supported by japa of the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”