Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 27

मन्वन्तर-कल्प-प्रश्नोत्तरम् / Discourse on Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Re-creation

Devanagari script

उदीर्णोच्छ्वासनिश्वासघूर्णितप्रलयार्णवम् । विस्फुरत्सुसटाच्छन्नकपोलस्कंधबंधुरम्

Transliteration

udīrṇocchvāsaniśvāsaghūrṇitapralayārṇavam | visphuratsusaṭācchannakapolaskaṃdhabaṃdhuram

Translation

Par ses puissantes expirations et inspirations, l’océan du pralaya se mit à tourbillonner. Et ses joues et ses épaules, d’une belle harmonie, étaient couvertes par ses jata—ses splendides mèches emmêlées—frémissantes.

Word by Word

• udīrṇa-ucchvāsa-niśvāsa-ghūrṇita-pralaya-arṇavam: the ocean of dissolution churned by rising exhalations and inhalations
• udīrṇa-ucchvāsa-niśvāsa-ghūrṇita-pralaya-arṇavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udīrṇa (कृदन्त, √ud-īr) + ucchvāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + niśvāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + ghūrṇita (कृदन्त, √ghūrṇ) + pralaya (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); समासः—बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (विशेषण-विशेष्यभावः)

• visphurat-susaṭā-channa-kapola-skandha-bandhuram: beautiful with cheeks and shoulders covered by quivering fine mane
• visphurat-susaṭā-channa-kapola-skandha-bandhuram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: visphurat (कृदन्त, √sphur) + su-saṭā (प्रातिपदिक; उपसर्ग-विशेषण) + channa (कृदन्त, √chad) + kapola (प्रातिपदिक) + skandha (प्रातिपदिक) + bandhurá (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); समासः—बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (विशेषणसमासः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahākāla

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: Mahākāla as the Lord of Time who grants protection from untimely death; the Purāṇic complex associates Ujjayinī with Śiva’s time-transcending sovereignty and fierce grace.

Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is sought for fearlessness, release from time-bound anxiety, and purification through confronting dissolution (saṃhāra) under Śiva’s lordship.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Kālī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: pralaya

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It portrays Shiva as Pati—the sovereign Lord whose very breath governs the cosmic cycles, including pralaya—pointing the devotee to rely on Him as the stable refuge beyond change and dissolution.

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

The verse is a Saguna description (form with attributes) that supports Linga-worship by giving the mind an exalted icon of Shiva’s cosmic majesty; the Linga is then contemplated as the same supreme reality expressed without limiting features.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva with regulated breath (prāṇāyāma) while mentally repeating the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” visualizing His jata and tranquil power that steadies the mind amid inner ‘waves’ of distraction.