Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 3

घनागमवर्णनम् / Description of the Monsoon’s Onset

Satī’s Address to Śiva

Devanagari script

घनागमोयं संप्राप्तः कालः परमदुस्सहः । अनेकवर्णमेघौघास्संगीतांबरदिक्चयाः

Transliteration

ghanāgamoyaṃ saṃprāptaḥ kālaḥ paramadussahaḥ | anekavarṇameghaughāssaṃgītāṃbaradikcayāḥ

Translation

そのとき、濃き雲の季節が訪れた――きわめて耐え難い時である。さまざまな色の雲の群れが集まり、天の四方は、音楽のように響きわたる轟きで満ちた。

Word by Word

• ghana-āgamaḥ: the coming of clouds (rainy season)
• ghana-āgamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghana (प्रातिपदिक) + āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (घनानां/मेघानां आगमः)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Nominative, Singular, Masculine

• saṃprāptaḥ: has arrived
• saṃprāptaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/विशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: Past participle (क्त), Nominative, Singular, Masculine; with prefix sam-pra-; agrees with ‘kālaḥ’

• kālaḥ: time/season
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• parama-dus-sahaḥ: extremely hard to bear
• parama-dus-sahaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + dus-saha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; कर्मधारयः—‘परमश्चासौ दुस्सहः’

• aneka-varṇa-megha-oghaḥ: masses of many-colored clouds
• aneka-varṇa-megha-oghaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + megha (प्रातिपदिक) + ogha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural (as in text ‘-āḥ’); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अनेकवर्णानां मेघानाम् ओघाः)

• saṃgīta-ambara-dik-cayāḥ: (cloud-masses) with sky and directions resounding/filled with music
• saṃgīta-ambara-dik-cayāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgīta (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + dik (प्रातिपदिक) + caya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural; बहुव्रीहिः—‘संगीतम् अम्बरं दिशां चयः येषां ते’ (those whose sky and quarters are as if musical/filled with sound)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse uses nature’s overwhelming monsoon imagery to frame the narrative mood and to hint at the Shaiva Siddhanta insight that worldly conditions are changeful and often difficult to endure, encouraging steadiness of devotion toward Pati (Śiva) beyond fluctuating times and seasons.

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

By portraying an external atmosphere that is turbulent and oppressive, the text implicitly contrasts changing prakṛti with the stabilizing refuge of Saguna Śiva worship—often centered on the Liṅga—where the devotee seeks inner composure and grace amid outer disturbances.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to cultivate japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with calm breath awareness during distracting conditions, using the ‘rumbling sky’ as a cue to return attention to mantra and Śiva-bhakti.