Shloka 16

Devanagari script

कृष्णांबरधरा श्यामा गायन्ती वाप्यथाङ्गना यं नयेद्दक्षिणामाशां स्वप्ने सो ऽपि न जीवति

Transliteration

kṛṣṇāṃbaradharā śyāmā gāyantī vāpyathāṅganā yaṃ nayeddakṣiṇāmāśāṃ svapne so 'pi na jīvati

Translation

സ്വപ്നത്തിൽ കറുത്ത വസ്ത്രം ധരിച്ച ശ്യാമയായ സ്ത്രീ പാടിക്കൊണ്ട് ആരെയെങ്കിലും തെക്കോട്ടു നയിച്ചാൽ—അവനും ജീവിക്കുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• kṛṣṇa-ambara-dharā: wearing black garments

• śyāmā: dark-complexioned woman

• gāyantī: singing

• vā api: or even/also

• atha: then

• aṅganā: woman

• yam: whom

• nayet: may lead

• dakṣiṇām āśām: the southern quarter/direction

• svapne: in a dream

• saḥ api: he also

• na jīvati: does not live/survive

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating traditional dream-omens taught in the Purāṇic discourse)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It functions as a warning-sign (nimitta) indicating imminent danger; such omens traditionally prompt the pashu (individual soul) to seek refuge in Pati (Śiva) through japa, śānti, and liṅga-upāsanā to loosen pāśa (bondage) and avert harm where karma allows.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Implicitly, it contrasts mortality and fear with the need for Pati—the liberating Lord—since the omen highlights the fragility of embodied life and the urgency of turning toward Śiva for protection and release from karmic limitation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Not a specific yoga technique is named; the practical takeaway is śānti-kriyā and Śiva-oriented remedial practice—liṅga-pūjā, mantra-japa (e.g., Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya), and vrata/charity—as traditional responses to inauspicious svapna-nimittas.