Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 5

कामप्रभावः (कामा॑स्य प्रभाववर्णनम्) — The Power of Kāma and the (Ineffective) Attempt to Delude Śiva

Devanagari script

समधोर्मदनस्यासन्प्रयासा निप्फला मुने । जगाम स मम स्थानं निवृत्त्य विमदस्तदा

Transliteration

samadhormadanasyāsanprayāsā nipphalā mune | jagāma sa mama sthānaṃ nivṛttya vimadastadā

Translation

ឱ មុនី ការខិតខំរបស់មទន (កាម) ដែលប្រឆាំងនឹងខ្ញុំ បានក្លាយជាឥតប្រយោជន៍។ បន្ទាប់មក គាត់បានដកខ្លួនត្រឡប់ទៅទីស្ថានរបស់ខ្លួន ដោយមោទនភាពត្រូវបានបន្ថយ។

Word by Word

• समधोः: of Samadhu
• समधोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मदनस्य: of Madana (Kāma)
• मदनस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• आसन्: were
• आसन्: Kriya (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रयासाः: efforts
• प्रयासाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• निष्फलाः: fruitless
• निष्फलाः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (प्रयासाः)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• स्थानम्: abode/place
• स्थानम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• निवृत्त्य: having withdrawn/returned
• निवृत्त्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-वृत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• विमदः: free from pride/intoxication
• विमदः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (सः)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse frames Kāma’s failure before Śiva’s yogic transcendence, a common purāṇic motif establishing Śiva’s unsurpassable lordship (aiśvarya) over kāma and māyā.

Significance: Didactic: reinforces vairāgya and the superiority of yoga-bhakti to sense-impulse; inspires restraint and surrender to Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kama (Madana)

FAQs

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

It highlights Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord whose yogic sovereignty makes desire powerless; when ego and passion fail, humility and withdrawal become the natural turning toward higher truth.

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

As Saguna Shiva, the Lord is portrayed as the master of senses and mind; Linga-worship trains the devotee to internalize that mastery, letting desire and pride become ‘niṣphala’ (ineffective) before Shiva-consciousness.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is sense-restraint with japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and meditation on Shiva’s steadiness, cultivating vimada (humility) and nivṛtti (withdrawal from compulsive desire).