Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 54

मन्दरगिरिवर्णनम् — Description of Mount Mandara as Śiva’s Residence

Tapas-abode

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । मत्प्रसादात्पुरा ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मत्वं प्राप्तवान्पुरा । तमाहूय महादेवि तपसा किं करिष्यसि

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | matprasādātpurā brahmā brahmatvaṃ prāptavānpurā | tamāhūya mahādevi tapasā kiṃ kariṣyasi

Translation

Īśvara disse: “Antigamente, por Minha graça, Brahmā alcançou o estado de Brahmā. Tendo-o convocado, ó Mahādevī, o que realizarás por meio da austeridade?”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• mat-prasādāt: from my grace
• mat-prasādāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + prasāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): 'my' + 'grace'

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय), Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• brahmatvam: the state of being Brahmā / Brahmahood
• brahmatvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (तद्धित)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); abstract noun (भाववाचक)

• prāptavān: having attained
• prāptavān: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग) + kta-vat (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past active participle (क्तवतुँ/क्तवतु), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय), Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• āhūya: having summoned/called
• āhūya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hū (धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), indeclinable verbal (अव्ययकृदन्त)

• mahādevi: O Mahādevī
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: 'great' + 'goddess'

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun

• kariṣyasi: will you do
• kariṣyasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 2nd Person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

Speaker

Lord Shiva (Ishvara)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati
• Brahma

FAQs

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

The verse emphasizes that the highest attainments—even cosmic offices like Brahmā’s—ultimately arise from Īśvara’s grace; tapas becomes fruitful when aligned with surrender to the Pati (Lord Śiva).

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

Linga-worship centers on approaching Saguna Īśvara as the accessible Lord who bestows anugraha (grace); this verse highlights that divine favor, not ego-driven effort, is the decisive cause of spiritual and worldly fulfillment.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is to unite tapas with bhakti—regular japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and contemplative surrender to Śiva—so austerity becomes a vehicle for grace rather than mere self-powered striving.