Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1

विभूतिविस्तरप्रश्नः / Inquiry into the Expansion of Śiva’s Vibhūti

Devanagari script

ॐ । नमस्समस्तसंसारचक्रभ्रमणहेतवे । गौरीकुचतटद्वन्द्वकुंकुमांकितवक्षसे

Transliteration

oṃ | namassamastasaṃsāracakrabhramaṇahetave | gaurīkucataṭadvandvakuṃkumāṃkitavakṣase

Translation

Om. Reverência ao Senhor Śiva—causa do girar da roda do saṃsāra—cujo amplo peito traz a marca do vermelhão (kumkuma) dos dois seios da Deusa Gaurī ao abraçá-Lo.

Word by Word

• oṃ: Oṃ
• oṃ: Maṅgala/Āmantraṇa (मङ्गल/आमन्त्रण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: oṃ (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: Avyaya, praṇava (प्रणव)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Prayojana (नमस्कार-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (नमस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (नमः-प्रयोग), indeclinable salutation; governs dative (चतुर्थी)

• samasta-saṃsāra-cakra-bhramaṇa-hetave: to the cause of the whole worldly cycle’s rotation
• samasta-saṃsāra-cakra-bhramaṇa-hetave: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samasta (समस्त) + saṃsāra (संसार) + cakra (चक्र) + bhramaṇa (भ्रमण) + hetu (हेतु) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; multi-member tatpuruṣa: ‘samastasya saṃsāracakrasya bhramaṇasya hetuḥ’ → to the cause of the turning of the entire cycle of worldly existence

• gaurī-kuca-taṭa-dvandva-kuṃkuma-aṅkita-vakṣase: to (him) whose chest is marked with Gaurī’s vermilion
• gaurī-kuca-taṭa-dvandva-kuṃkuma-aṅkita-vakṣase: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (गौरी) + kuca (कुच) + taṭa (तट) + dvandva (द्वन्द्व) + kuṃkuma (कुङ्कुम) + aṅkita (अङ्कित) + vakṣas (वक्षस्) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; tatpuruṣa chain: ‘gauryāḥ kucataṭadvandvasya kuṃkumena aṅkitaṃ vakṣaḥ yasya’ (intended bahuvrīhi sense but expressed as dative to vakṣas): to (him) whose chest is marked with vermilion from the pair of Gaurī’s breast-slopes

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Opening maṅgala/stuti of the Uttarabhāga; not a specific Jyotirliṅga māhātmya. The epithet ‘saṃsāra-cakra-bhramaṇa-hetu’ frames Śiva as the cosmic governor of bondage and its cessation, while ‘Gaurī-kuṅkuma-aṅkita-vakṣas’ highlights Umāpati-tattva.

Significance: Recitation as maṅgala invokes Śiva’s protective governance over saṃsāra and the auspiciousness of Śiva-Śakti union; suitable as a preface to study/recitation of the saṃhitā.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: oṃ | namassamastasaṃsāracakrabhramaṇahetave | gaurīkucataṭadvandvakuṃkumāṃkitavakṣase

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Saṃsāra-cakra (cosmic cycle of transmigration) invoked as doctrinal backdrop

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

It opens with Om and bows to Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who governs the revolving samsara-chakra—implying that liberation comes by turning to Him through devotion and right knowledge.

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

The verse presents Saguna Shiva in an intimate iconographic form—His chest marked by Gauri’s kumkuma—supporting personal devotion (bhakti) that later matures into contemplation of Shiva’s transcendent nature beyond form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Begin japa or worship by chanting “Om” (and traditionally “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), offering mental prostration to Shiva, and meditating on Him as the Lord who can turn one away from samsara toward moksha.