Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 1

शिवविहारवर्णनम् (Śivavihāra-varṇana) — “Description of Śiva’s Divine Pastimes/Sojourn”

Devanagari script

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे रुद्रसंहितायां कुमारखण्डे शिवविहारवर्णनं नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe rudrasaṃhitāyāṃ kumārakhaṇḍe śivavihāravarṇanaṃ nāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे रुद्रसंहितायां कुमारखण्डे ‘शिवविहारवर्णनम्’ नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः।

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/discourse)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotative/end-marker

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the revered Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; title compound

• rudra-saṃhitāyām: in the Rudra-saṃhitā
• rudra-saṃhitāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra-saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• kumāra-khaṇḍe: in the Kumāra-khaṇḍa
• kumāra-khaṇḍe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra-khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (as title), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• śiva-vihāra-varṇanam: (the chapter called) ‘Description of Śiva’s pastimes’
• śiva-vihāra-varṇanam: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + vihāra (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; chapter-title noun

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/naming)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya in title-construction (नाम = called)

• prathamaḥ: first
• prathamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ordinal qualifying ‘adhyāyaḥ’

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmī (as the Purāṇic narrator addressing the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This is a colophon-style opening that establishes scriptural authority and frames the chapter as a sacred contemplation of Śiva’s divine realm and līlā, encouraging devotional remembrance (smaraṇa) as a means toward grace.

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

By announcing a chapter on Śiva’s vihāra (divine presence and play), it points to Saguna-Śiva—Śiva approachable through form, qualities, and sacred narratives—supporting Purāṇic worship that culminates in reverence for the Liṅga as His accessible manifestation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is śravaṇa and manana—listening to and reflecting on Śiva-kathā; as a meditative practice, one may recite the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while contemplating Śiva’s abode and presence.