Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 14

तुलसी-शङ्खचूडोपाख्यानम् — Viṣṇu’s Disguise and the Tulasī Episode

Prelude to Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Fall

Devanagari script

तुलस्युवाच । असंख्यविश्वसंहर्ता स देवप्रवरः प्रभुः । यस्याज्ञावर्त्तिनो देवा विष्णुब्रह्मादयस्सदा

Transliteration

tulasyuvāca | asaṃkhyaviśvasaṃhartā sa devapravaraḥ prabhuḥ | yasyājñāvarttino devā viṣṇubrahmādayassadā

Translation

Tulasi dit : Il est le Seigneur, le plus éminent parmi les dieux, le destructeur d’innombrables univers. Par son ordre, les dieux—Vishnou, Brahmâ et les autres—demeurent à jamais obéissants et agissent selon sa volonté.

Word by Word

• tulasī: Tulasī
• tulasī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; speaker name

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ/लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• asaṃkhya-viśva-saṃhartā: the destroyer of innumerable worlds
• asaṃkhya-viśva-saṃhartā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asaṃkhya (प्रातिपदिक) + viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa chain: ‘destroyer (saṃhartā) of innumerable worlds’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; pronoun (सर्वनाम)

• deva-pravaraḥ: the foremost among gods
• deva-pravaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + pravara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘best among gods’

• prabhuḥ: the Lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• yasya: whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; relative pronoun

• ājñā-varttinaḥ: obedient to (his) command
• ājñā-varttinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक) + vartin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘obedient to (his) command’; agrees with devāḥ

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• viṣṇu-brahma-ādayaḥ: Viṣṇu, Brahmā and others
• viṣṇu-brahma-ādayaḥ: Apposition (विशेषण/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘Viṣṇu, Brahmā and others’ (ādayaḥ)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरणम्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (कालवाचक)

Speaker

Tulasi

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: asaṃkhyaviśvasaṃhartā sa devapravaraḥ prabhuḥ | yasyājñāvarttino devā viṣṇubrahmādayassadā

Type: stotra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: withdrawal of innumerable universes (cosmic dissolution motif)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Brahma
• Devas

FAQs

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

It affirms Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who governs even Brahma and Vishnu—highlighting that cosmic functions (creation, preservation, dissolution) proceed under His sovereign will; recognizing this nurtures surrender (śaraṇāgati) and steadies the seeker toward moksha.

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

By declaring Shiva the supreme commander of the devas, the verse supports Saguna worship—approaching Shiva in a worshipable form such as the Linga—as the accessible embodiment of His supreme authority and grace within the cosmos.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is daily Shiva-bhakti through Panchakshara japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with an attitude of obedience to divine order, optionally accompanied by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as reminders of Shiva’s lordship and protection.