Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 40

शिवरूपदर्शनम्

Menā’s Vision of Śiva’s Divine Form

Devanagari script

विना तु तपसा शम्भोर्दर्शनं दुर्लभन्नृणाम् । दर्शनाच्छंकरस्यैव सर्वे याताः कृतार्थताम्

Transliteration

vinā tu tapasā śambhordarśanaṃ durlabhannṛṇām | darśanācchaṃkarasyaiva sarve yātāḥ kṛtārthatām

Translation

苦行なくしては、ああシャンブーよ、人々がシヴァのダルシャナ（聖なる拝観）を得ることは難しい。されど、ただシャンカラのダルシャナによってのみ、彼らは皆、成就者となり—人生の真の目的に到達した。

Word by Word

• विना: without
• विना: Nivṛtti/Apavāda (निवृत्ति/अपवाद)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपपद (preposition) — ‘without’

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• तपसा: by austerity, through penance
• तपसा: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

• शम्भोः: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• दर्शनम्: vision, seeing (of him)
• दर्शनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दुर्लभम्: difficult to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying darśanam)

• नृणाम्: of men, for humans
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

• दर्शनात्: from (the) seeing
• दर्शनात्: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन

• शंकरस्य: of Śaṅkara
• शंकरस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• सर्वे: all (people)
• सर्वे: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• याताः: attained, reached
• याताः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘have gone/attained’

• कृतार्थताम्: fulfilled state, success
• कृतार्थताम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + -tā (तद्धित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कृतः अर्थः यस्य/कृतार्थ), तद्धित-भाववाचक ‘-ता’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: General teaching: Śiva-darśana is rare without tapas, yet once granted it bestows kṛtārthatā. This mirrors the pilgrimage logic where sustained vrata/discipline culminates in temple darśana.

Significance: Encourages tapas/vrata as preparation for darśana; asserts that Śaṅkara’s darśana alone can consummate human aims (dharma/artha/kāma culminating in mokṣa).

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that Śiva’s darśana is not a casual attainment; it is generally approached through tapas (disciplined spiritual effort). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, tapas and devotion purify the pashu (bound soul) and loosen pasha (bondage), making one fit for Pati’s (Śiva’s) grace—by which life’s highest aim is fulfilled.

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

Darśana here aligns with approaching Saguna Śiva—encountering the Lord through form, presence, and worship (including the Śiva-liṅga). The teaching emphasizes that sincere worship supported by discipline leads to the Lord’s manifest grace, and that even a single true darśana can become spiritually transformative.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied practice is tapas supported by steady upāsanā—regular japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), vrata/fasting (especially on Mahāśivarātri), and focused meditation on Śiva to become inwardly prepared for His darśana and grace.