Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 36

नारदमोहवर्णनम् — Description of Nārada’s Delusion

Devanagari script

तस्यां नृपसभायां वै नारदः समुपाविशत् । स्थित्वा तत्र विचिन्त्येति प्रीतियुक्तेन चेतसा

Transliteration

tasyāṃ nṛpasabhāyāṃ vai nāradaḥ samupāviśat | sthitvā tatra vicintyeti prītiyuktena cetasā

Translation

ਉਸ ਰਾਜ ਸਭਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਾਰਦ ਮੁਨੀ ਆ ਕੇ ਬੈਠ ਗਏ। ਉੱਥੇ ਟਿਕ ਕੇ, ਹರ್ಷ ਅਤੇ ਸਨੇਹ-ਭਕਤੀ ਨਾਲ ਭਰੇ ਚਿੱਤ ਨਾਲ ਉਹ ਅੰਦਰੋਂ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਕਰਨ ਲੱਗੇ।

Word by Word

• tasyām: in that (hall)
• tasyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• nṛpa-sabhāyām: in the king’s assembly-hall
• nṛpa-sabhāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa + sabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), निपात (particle)

• nāradaḥ: Nārada
• nāradaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• samupāviśat: sat down, took a seat
• samupāviśat: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-upa-√viś (विश् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• sthitvā: having stood
• sthitvā: Kriyā-samānādhikaraṇa (क्रियासम्बन्ध/Conjunctive action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• vicintya: having reflected
• vicintya: Kriyā-samānādhikaraṇa (क्रियासम्बन्ध/Conjunctive action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi-√cint (चिन्त् धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (वाक्यार्थ-द्योतक/Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), इति-प्रयोग (quotative particle)

• prīti-yuktena: with (a mind) endowed with joy
• prīti-yuktena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prīti + yukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग? (see note) / तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); here agrees with cetasā (neuter instr. sg.), hence treated as नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया, एकवचन

• cetasā: with the mind
• cetasā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Narada

FAQs

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

The verse highlights an inner discipline valued in Śaiva tradition: entering the world (the king’s court) while keeping the heart settled in prīti—devotional joy—and engaging in thoughtful contemplation, which ripens the mind for Shiva’s grace and right discernment.

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

Nārada’s prīti-yukta contemplation models the devotional mood (bhāva) that supports Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Shiva (often through Linga-upāsanā) with a softened, joyful heart so the mind becomes fit for steady remembrance and receptive to Shiva’s presence.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is silent japa and manasika-dhyāna: sit calmly, steady the mind in devotion, and repeat the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with reflective awareness before or after simple Linga worship with bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and reverence.