Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 16

अन्धक-प्रश्नः — Inquiry into Andhaka

Genealogy and Nature

Devanagari script

पूर्वे दिशो मन्दर शैलसंस्था कपर्द्दिनश्चंडपराकमस्य । चक्रे ततो नेत्रनिमीलनं तु सा पार्वती नर्मयुतं सलीलम्

Transliteration

pūrve diśo mandara śailasaṃsthā kaparddinaścaṃḍaparākamasya | cakre tato netranimīlanaṃ tu sā pārvatī narmayutaṃ salīlam

Translation

À l’est, sur le mont Mandara, Pārvatī, dans un jeu tendre et gracieux, ferma les yeux du Seigneur aux cheveux nattés (Śiva), dont la vaillance est farouche et irrésistible.

Word by Word

• pūrve: in the eastern
• pūrve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; agrees with diśi understood (locative)

• diśi: direction
• diśi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• mandara-śaila-saṃsthāḥ: situated on Mandara mountain
• mandara-śaila-saṃsthāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mandara + śaila + saṃsthā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (mandara-śaile saṃsthāḥ = situated on Mandara mountain)

• kaparddinaḥ: of Kapardin (Śiva)
• kaparddinaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapardin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; epithet of Śiva

• caṇḍa-parākamasya: of fierce valor
• caṇḍa-parākamasya: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caṇḍa + parākrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (caṇḍaḥ parākramaḥ) qualifying kapardin

• cakre: did, made
• cakre: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ātmanepada

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kālādhi-kriyāviśeṣaṇa (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘then/from that’

• netra-nimīlanam: closing of the eyes
• netra-nimīlanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra + nimīlana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (netrayoḥ nimīlanam)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) contrast/emphasis

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; pronoun

• pārvatī: Pārvatī
• pārvatī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; proper name

• narma-yutam: with playful jest
• narma-yutam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: narma + yuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (narmena yutam = accompanied by playfulness)

• sa-līlam: playfully
• sa-līlam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + līla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (līlayā saha = playfully)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The playful closing of Śiva’s eyes becomes a narrative device for ‘concealment’ (tirodhāna): when the Lord’s illuminating gaze is veiled, darkness manifests—an etiological prelude to the arising of a dreadful being.

Significance: Meditation on tirodhāna: the soul’s light is not autonomous; when divine illumination is ‘covered’, tamas and confusion arise—prompting the seeker toward grace (anugraha).

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati
• Mandara

FAQs

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

It frames Śiva and Pārvatī’s intimacy as divine līlā: even the all-knowing Pati (Lord) allows loving play, teaching that devotion (bhakti) is not opposed to transcendence but is a sacred means to approach it.

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

By depicting the matted-haired Lord in a relatable, personal form, the verse supports Saguna-upāsanā—worship of Śiva with attributes—through which devotees steady the mind before realizing the deeper, formless reality indicated by the Liṅga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is inwardness: briefly close the eyes in japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), visualizing Śiva with jata and Pārvatī as Śakti—uniting devotion and concentration.