Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 37

अनरण्यसुता–पिप्पलादचरितम् / The Episode of Anaraṇya’s Daughter and Sage Pippalāda

Devanagari script

आकाशोसौ दिशस्सर्वा यदि नश्यन्तु वायवः । तथापि साध्वीशापस्तु न नश्यति कदाचन

Transliteration

ākāśosau diśassarvā yadi naśyantu vāyavaḥ | tathāpi sādhvīśāpastu na naśyati kadācana

Translation

ആകാശവും എല്ലാ ദിക്കുകളും കാറ്റുകളും നശിച്ചാലും, സാധ്വീധർമ്മനിഷ്ഠയായ സ്ത്രീ ഉച്ചരിച്ച ശാപം ഒരിക്കലും നശിക്കുകയില്ല।

Word by Word

• ākāśaḥ: the sky/space
• ākāśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• asau: that (there)
• asau: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• diśaḥ: directions
• diśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• sarvāḥ: all
• sarvāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural; adjective qualifying ‘diśaḥ’

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conditional conjunction (यदि)

• naśyantu: let (them) perish
• naśyantu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (लोट्/imperative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Bahu-vacana (plural)

• vāyavaḥ: winds
• vāyavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• tathāpi: even so / nevertheless
• tathāpi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/concession marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā + api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, concessive adverb (तथापि)

• sādhvīśāpaḥ: the curse of the chaste woman
• sādhvīśāpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhvī + śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘curse of the virtuous woman’

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adversative particle (तु)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, negation particle (निषेध)

• naśyati: perishes
• naśyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्/present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Eka-vacana (singular)

• kadācana: ever/at any time
• kadācana: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, temporal adverb (कालवाचक)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: pralaya (hyperbolic: even sky/directions/winds perish)

FAQs

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

It teaches that spiritual power (śakti) rooted in dharma—especially the truth-force of a sādhvī—has an enduring efficacy that even cosmic dissolution imagery cannot negate, emphasizing karmic inevitability and moral causality.

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

In Shaiva thought, Saguna Shiva upholds ṛta and dharma in the manifest world; this verse supports the Purāṇic theme that Shiva’s cosmos runs on moral law, so devotion to the Liṅga is inseparable from reverence for dharma and the sanctity of righteous speech.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is disciplined speech (satya and ahiṃsā) alongside Shaiva japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so one’s words become purified and aligned with Shiva’s dharmic order.