Shloka 32

Devanagari script

लोहकुंभे यथा न्यस्तः पच्यते कश्चिदग्निना । गर्भकुंभे तथा क्षिप्तः पच्यते जठराग्निना

Transliteration

lohakuṃbhe yathā nyastaḥ pacyate kaścidagninā | garbhakuṃbhe tathā kṣiptaḥ pacyate jaṭharāgninā

Translation

De même qu’une chose déposée dans un pot de fer est cuite par le feu extérieur, de même, jeté dans la jarre du sein maternel, l’être est « cuit »—mûri et façonné—par le feu intérieur du ventre.

Word by Word

लोहकुम्भेin an iron pot

यथाas

न्यस्तःplaced, put down

पच्यतेis cooked

कश्चित्someone

अग्निनाby fire

गर्भकुम्भेin the womb-pot (womb as a vessel)

तथाlikewise

क्षिप्तःthrown, cast

पच्यतेis cooked

जठराग्निनाby the digestive fire

Speaker

Lord Shiva (teaching Umā/Parvatī)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

Shiva

Parvati

FAQs

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

It uses the metaphor of cooking to show how embodied existence is a process of formation under natural forces; the soul (paśu) enters the womb and is shaped under karmic conditions, highlighting the need for Shiva’s grace (Pati) to transcend bondage (pāśa).

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

By emphasizing the conditioned nature of birth and bodily formation, it points the seeker toward Saguna Shiva worship (including Linga-upāsanā) as a stabilizing path of devotion and purification that culminates in Shiva’s liberating grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplate the impermanence and conditioned nature of the body while practicing japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and maintaining Shaiva purity disciplines (e.g., bhasma/tripuṇḍra and daily worship), cultivating dispassion and surrender to Shiva.