Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 16

सत्याः पुनस्तपश्चर्या — Satī’s Return to Austerity (Tapas) and Fearless Liṅga-Worship

Devanagari script

तदा परमभावेन ज्ञात्वा कार्तार्थ्यमात्मनः । सद्योपासक एवैष सिषेवे परमेश्वरीम्

Transliteration

tadā paramabhāvena jñātvā kārtārthyamātmanaḥ | sadyopāsaka evaiṣa siṣeve parameśvarīm

Translation

അപ്പോൾ പരമഭാവത്തോടെ തന്റെ ജീവിതം കൃതാർത്ഥമായതായി അറിഞ്ഞ്, അവൻ ഉടൻ തന്നെ സത്യ ഉപാസകനായി ഭക്തിയോടെ പരമേശ്വരിയെ സേവിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), kāla-avyaya (time-adverb)

• parama-bhāvena: by the highest disposition/state
• parama-bhāvena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; tatpuruṣa: paramaḥ bhāvaḥ → parama-bhāvaḥ

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), from √jñā (to know)

• kārtārthyam: the fulfillment/accomplishment
• kārtārthyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta-artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; tatpuruṣa: kṛtaḥ arthaḥ yasya/tat → kṛtārtha (accomplished) → kārtārthya (state of being accomplished)

• ātmanaḥ: of himself
• ātmanaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• sadyaḥ-upāsakaḥ: an immediate/instant devotee
• sadyaḥ-upāsakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadyaḥ (अव्यय) + upāsaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; karmadhāraya: sadyaḥ (immediate) qualifying upāsaka (worshipper)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha/Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), niścaya/avadhāraṇa-particle (emphasis)

• eṣaḥ: this (person)
• eṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (sarvanāma), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• siṣeve: served/worshipped
• siṣeve: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ/लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; √sev (to serve/worship)

• parameśvarīm: the Supreme Goddess
• parameśvarīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parameśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It shows that when one attains the highest recognition of life’s true purpose (kṛtārthatā), devotion naturally manifests as immediate worship and humble service to the Divine—here expressed as Parameśvarī, inseparable from Śiva.

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

In Shaiva understanding, Saguna worship is the embodied doorway to the Supreme: serving Parameśvarī implies honoring Śiva-Śakti unity, which is also the essence behind Linga worship—reverence to the manifest form that leads the seeker toward the transcendent.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The key practice is sadyopāsanā—begin worship immediately with steady bhakti: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), simple pūjā/archana, and inner surrender, performed with the “paramabhāva” of reverence and gratitude.