Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 61

त्रिपुरवर्णनम् (Tripura-varṇanam) — “Description of Tripura”

Devanagari script

कल्पद्रुमैश्च संकीर्णं गजवाजिसमाकुलम् । नानाप्रासादसंकीर्णं मणिजालसमा वृतम्

Transliteration

kalpadrumaiśca saṃkīrṇaṃ gajavājisamākulam | nānāprāsādasaṃkīrṇaṃ maṇijālasamā vṛtam

Translation

അത് കല്പവൃക്ഷങ്ങളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞതും ആനകളും കുതിരകളും കവിഞ്ഞൊഴുകുന്നതുമായിരിന്നു. അനവധി പ്രാസാദങ്ങളാൽ സമ്പുഷ്ടമായി, മാണിക്യജാലംപോലെ ചുറ്റും ആവൃതമായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कल्पद्रुमैः: with wish-fulfilling trees
• कल्पद्रुमैः: Karaṇa (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्पद्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/सह) बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (by/with)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; conjunction ‘and’

• संकीर्णम्: filled, crowded
• संकीर्णम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+कीर्ण (कृदन्त; √कॄ/कीर् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; past participle ‘filled/strewn’

• गजवाजि-समाकुलम्: thronged with elephants and horses
• गजवाजि-समाकुलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘crowded with elephants and horses’

• नाना: various
• नाना: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-विशेषण; indeclinable adjective ‘various’ (used in compound)

• प्रासाद-संकीर्णम्: filled with palaces
• प्रासाद-संकीर्णम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्+कीर्ण (कृदन्त; √कॄ/कीर् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) समासान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘filled with palaces’

• मणिजाल-समा: like a net of gems
• मणिजाल-समा: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मणि (प्रातिपदिक) + जाल (प्रातिपदिक) + समा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘equal/like a net of gems’ (qualifying implied feminine noun/appearance)

• वृतम्: covered, enclosed
• वृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘covered/enclosed’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Tripurāntaka

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Descriptive verse of Tripura’s sensory splendor—kalpavṛkṣas, royal mounts, palaces, gem-net enclosure—functioning as the ‘glamour’ of māyā that later gets dissolved by Śiva; not a Jyotirliṅga passage.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse depicts extraordinary celestial prosperity—yet in Shaiva Siddhanta it also serves as a contrast: such splendor is still within the realm of māyā, while true fulfillment is attained by devotion to Pati (Shiva) and liberation from bondage (pāśa).

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

The imagery supports Saguna narration—Shiva’s sacred realm is described with perceivable grandeur to draw the mind toward devotion; ultimately, Linga-worship refines that devotion from attraction to forms toward realization of Shiva as the supreme Lord beyond all worlds.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to pair visual contemplation of Shiva’s divine abode with japa of the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so the mind moves from fascination with riches to single-pointed bhakti.