Shloka 23

व्योमवाणी-श्रवणं, गणानां शरणागमनं, सती-दाह-वृत्तान्तः — Hearing the Heavenly Voice; The Gaṇas Seek Refuge; Account of Satī’s Self-Immolation

Devanagari script

स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्त्वात्यतिष्ठद्दशांगुलम् । प्रलयानलसंकाशः प्रोन्नतो दोस्सहस्रवान्

Transliteration

sa bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛttvātyatiṣṭhaddaśāṃgulam | pralayānalasaṃkāśaḥ pronnato dossahasravān

Translation

Cingindo a terra por todos os lados, Ele permaneceu de pé, erguido dez larguras de dedo acima dela—altivo, ardente como o fogo do pralaya—e portando mil braços impossíveis de enfrentar.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• bhūmim: the earth
• bhūmim: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• viśvataḥ: on all sides
• viśvataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśvatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (दिक्/परितः) ‘on all sides’

• vṛttvā: having surrounded
• vṛttvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Kridanta, absolutive/gerund (क्त्वा), ‘having encompassed/covered’

• atiṣṭhat: stood
• atiṣṭhat: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (लङ्/Imperfect past), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Singular

• daśa-aṅgulam: ten finger-breadths
• daśa-aṅgulam: Adhikarana/Parimana (अधिकरण/परिमाण; extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅgula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvigu (द्विगु) numeral compound; Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; measure of height

• pralaya-anala-saṃkāśaḥ: resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution
• pralaya-anala-saṃkāśaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pralaya (प्रातिपदिक) + anala (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘like the fire of dissolution’; Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying saḥ

• pronnataḥ: lofty, towering
• pronnataḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + ud + nam (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: Kridanta, past participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘raised, lofty’

• doḥ-sahasravān: having a thousand arms
• doḥ-sahasravān: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: doḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) ‘one who has a thousand arms’; Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying saḥ

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: pralaya-fire simile (pralayānala-saṃkāśa)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse portrays Shiva’s overwhelming, all-encompassing sovereignty—His Saguna manifestation that subdues cosmic disorder and reveals His role as Pati (the Supreme Lord) who transcends and contains the world.

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

By describing Shiva’s vast, fiery, many-armed form, the text supports Saguna upāsanā—devotion to a perceivable form—while implying that such forms point to the same Supreme reality worshipped in the Linga as the all-pervading Lord.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplate Shiva as the all-encompassing Protector while repeating the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and reinforce steadiness with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) as a reminder of pralaya and detachment.