Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 76

अनुग्रह-स्वातन्त्र्य-प्रमाणविचारः | Inquiry into Pramāṇa, Divine Autonomy, and Grace

Devanagari script

अण्डान्ता हि महाभूमिश्शतरुद्राद्यधिष्ठिता । मायान्तमन्तरिक्षं तु ह्यमरेशादिभिः क्रमात्

Transliteration

aṇḍāntā hi mahābhūmiśśatarudrādyadhiṣṭhitā | māyāntamantarikṣaṃ tu hyamareśādibhiḥ kramāt

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡത്തിനുള്ളിലെ മഹാഭൂമിയെ ശതരുദ്രാദി രുദ്രന്മാർ അധിഷ്ഠിക്കുന്നു. മായാപര്യന്തമുള്ള അന്തരീക്ഷം ക്രമമായി ഇന്ദ്രാദി ദേവാധിപന്മാർ ഭരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अण्ड-अन्ताः: bounded by the cosmic egg
• अण्ड-अन्ताः: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समास: तत्पुरुष—‘अण्डस्य अन्तः’ → ‘having the cosmic egg as boundary’; agrees with महाभूमिः (understood as plural/collective)

• हि: indeed
• हि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (particle: indeed/for)

• महाभूमिः: the great earth
• महाभूमिः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय—महा + भूमिः

• शत-रुद्र-आदि-अधिष्ठिता: presided over by the hundred Rudras and others
• शत-रुद्र-आदि-अधिष्ठिता: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिष्ठित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्था with अधि-)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समास: ‘शतरुद्रादि’ (hundred Rudras etc.) + अधिष्ठिता (past passive participle, √स्था/अधि√स्था—to preside over)

• माया-अन्तम्: ending at Māyā
• माया-अन्तम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘मायायाः अन्तः’ → ‘ending at Māyā’; qualifies अन्तरिक्षम्

• अन्तरिक्षम्: the mid-region/atmosphere
• अन्तरिक्षम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तरिक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तु: but/and
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (contrastive particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थ (particle)

• अमर-ईश-आदिभिः: by the lords of the gods and others
• अमर-ईश-आदिभिः: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष—‘अमरेशादि’ = ‘lords of the immortals etc.’

• क्रमात्: in sequence
• क्रमात्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-निभम्; पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् ‘in order’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Rudra

Mantra Metadata

Type: rudram

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: brahmanda-cosmography (ordering of lokas within the cosmic egg)

Characters & Entities

• Shatarudra
• Rudras
• Indra
• Devas
• Maya

FAQs

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

It maps cosmic administration: within the created universe, devas and Rudras govern regions, yet all such governance remains within Māyā—implying that liberation requires refuge in Shiva (Pati) who transcends Māyā and its limitations.

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

By showing that even Indra’s domain is bounded by Māyā, the verse points the devotee beyond limited deva-worship toward Saguna Shiva (Linga as the accessible form of Pati) as the supreme presiding reality who grants grace leading beyond Māyā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as the Lord beyond Māyā while repeating the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and support it with Shaiva markers like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha to cultivate detachment from worldly spheres and devotion to Pati.