Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 5

उत्पातवर्णनम् / Description of Portents at Dakṣa’s Sacrifice

Devanagari script

दिशश्चासन्सुमलिनाः कर्बुरोभूद्दिवाकरः । परिवेषसहस्रेण संक्रांतश्च भयंकरः

Transliteration

diśaścāsansumalināḥ karburobhūddivākaraḥ | pariveṣasahasreṇa saṃkrāṃtaśca bhayaṃkaraḥ

Translation

四方は穢れて濁り、太陽は斑に曇って光を失った。幾千もの不吉な暈に取り巻かれ、日食のごとき恐るべき変化へと入った――迫り来る災厄の戦慄すべき兆しである。

Word by Word

• diśaḥ: directions (quarters)
• diśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• āsan: were
• āsan: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ lakāra (Imperfect/लङ्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Bahuvacana

• su-malināḥ: very defiled
• su-malināḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + malina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya ‘very dirty’; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Bahuvacana (agreeing with diśaḥ by sense)

• karburaḥ: mottled, variegated
• karburaḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karbura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• abhūt: became
• abhūt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ lakāra (Imperfect/लङ्), Prathama puruṣa, Ekavacana

• divākaraḥ: the sun
• divākaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divākara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• pariveṣa-sahasreṇa: with a thousand halos
• pariveṣa-sahasreṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pariveṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Samāsa: Tatpuruṣa ‘with a thousand halos/circles’; Napuṃsakalिङ्ग, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/तृतीया), Ekavacana

• saṃkrāntaḥ: having moved/entered (eclipsed/obscured)
• saṃkrāntaḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√kram (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past participle (क्त) ‘having moved/entered’; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana (agreeing with divākaraḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• bhayaṃkaraḥ: terrifying
• bhayaṃkaraḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhayaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana (agreeing with divākaraḥ)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Rudra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Eclipse-like solar anomaly with multiple pariveṣa (halos), treated as apashakuna (ominous portent)

Characters & Entities

• Sati
• Surya

FAQs

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

It portrays nature reflecting a rupture in dharma: when devotion is insulted and sacred order is threatened, the cosmos mirrors that disturbance through fearful omens—signaling an approaching turning point in Shiva’s līlā.

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

Such omens underscore the need to take refuge in Saguna Shiva—the compassionate Lord accessible through worship—so that the devotee remains steady when the world appears darkened by suffering and disorder.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to stabilize the mind with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and maintain śuddhi through Tripuṇḍra/bhasma remembrance, cultivating fearlessness and surrender during inauspicious times.