Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 22

सती-शिवचरित्रप्रसङ्गः / The Account of Satī and Śiva’s Divine Conduct

Prelude to Detailed Narrative

Devanagari script

आगत्य दण्डकारण्यं पर्यटन् सागरांबराम् । दर्शयन् तत्र गां शोभां सत्यै सत्यपणः प्रभुः

Transliteration

āgatya daṇḍakāraṇyaṃ paryaṭan sāgarāṃbarām | darśayan tatra gāṃ śobhāṃ satyai satyapaṇaḥ prabhuḥ

Translation

दण्डकारण्यं समागत्य सागराम्बरां धराṃ पर्यटन्, तत्र देशस्य शोभां सत्याै दर्शयामास सत्यप्रतिज्ञः प्रभुः।

Word by Word

• āgatya: having come
• āgatya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, ल्यप्): having come

• daṇḍaka-araṇyam: the Daṇḍaka forest
• daṇḍaka-araṇyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍaka (प्रातिपदिक) + araṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; कर्मधारय: daṇḍakaṃ araṇyam

• paryaṭan: wandering
• paryaṭan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-āṭ (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle/शतृ (वर्तमानकाले), Parasmaipada; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agreeing with prabhuḥ

• sāgara-ambarām: ocean-clad (earth)
• sāgara-ambarām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; उपमान/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: sāgaram iva ambaraṃ yasyāḥ (poetic: having ocean as garment)

• darśayan: showing
• darśayan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Causative present active participle/णिच् + शतृ; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agreeing with prabhuḥ

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• gām: the earth
• gām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन

• śobhām: beauty, splendor
• śobhām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śobhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन

• satyai: to Satī
• satyai: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dative/चतुर्थी (4), Singular/एकवचन

• satya-paṇaḥ: true to his vow
• satya-paṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक) + paṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: satyaḥ paṇaḥ yasya (whose pledge is truth)

• prabhuḥ: the Lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Sati

FAQs

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

It highlights Śiva as satyapaṇa—perfectly steadfast in truth and vow—revealing that divine dharma is grounded in unwavering integrity, and that perceiving the world’s beauty becomes sanctified when guided by the Lord rather than by mere desire.

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

The verse presents Saguna Śiva as the compassionate guide who leads the devotee (Satī) through sacred spaces; in Linga worship this same Lord is approached as the visible, worship-worthy form through which the devotee learns to see all the earth as pervaded by Śiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is pilgrimage-with-japa: moving through a sacred place while repeating the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and cultivating śiva-smaraṇa (remembrance of Śiva) so that the mind learns reverent perception rather than restless wandering.