Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 16

भद्रस्य देवसंघेषु विक्रमः

Bhadra’s Onslaught among the Deva Hosts

Devanagari script

ततो देवः सरस्वत्या नासिकाग्रं सुशोभनम् । चिच्छेद करजाग्रेण देवमातुस्तथैव च

Transliteration

tato devaḥ sarasvatyā nāsikāgraṃ suśobhanam | ciccheda karajāgreṇa devamātustathaiva ca

Translation

പിന്നീട് ദേവൻ തന്റെ നഖത്തിന്റെ മൂർച്ചയാൽ സരസ്വതിയുടെ മനോഹരമായ നാസികാഗ്രം ഛേദിച്ചു; അതുപോലെ ദേവമാതാവിനെയും അങ്ങനെ തന്നെയാക്കി।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence/time

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• nāsikā-agram: the tip of the nose
• nāsikā-agram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāsikā (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): nāsikāyāḥ agraṃ

• su-śobhanam: very beautiful
• su-śobhanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + śobhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying nāsikāgram

• ciccheda: cut off
• ciccheda: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: chid (छिद् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• karaja-agreṇa: with the tip of (his) fingernail
• karaja-agreṇa: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karaja (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: karajasya agreṇa

• deva-mātuḥ: of the mother of the gods
• deva-mātuḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: devānāṃ mātā

• tathā: thus/so
• tathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), particle of emphasis (निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga origin; this is a punitive/humiliating act within the battle narrative, functioning as a didactic reversal of pride (ahaṅkāra) among divine functionaries.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvati
• Deva (the Lord)
• Devamata

FAQs

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

The verse depicts the Lord’s decisive act of restraint and correction: when divine power is misused or pride hardens, Pati (the Lord) intervenes to humble and restore dharma, reminding beings that beauty and status are subordinate to right conduct and devotion.

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

Such narratives establish Saguna Shiva as the active, compassionate governor of the cosmos—one who protects dharma through līlā. This supports Linga worship as devotion to the same Lord who is both transcendent (beyond form) and immanent (acting within form).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is humility and self-restraint supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a daily discipline to dissolve ego and align one’s speech and action with dharma.