Shloka 30

Vāmadeva-mata: Rahasya-upadeśa

The Esoteric Teaching of Vāmadeva’s Doctrine

Devanagari script

द्वादशायतनेत्राय द्वादशोद्यतबाहवे । द्वादशायुधधाराय द्वादशात्मन्नमोस्तु ते

Transliteration

dvādaśāyatanetrāya dvādaśodyatabāhave | dvādaśāyudhadhārāya dvādaśātmannamostu te

Translation

ద్వాదశాయతనాలలో వ్యాపించిన నేత్రములు గలవాడా, ద్వాదశ ఉద్ధత భుజములు గలవాడా, ద్వాదశ ఆయుధధారివాడా, ద్వాదశాత్మస్వరూపుడా—నీకు నమస్కారం।

Word by Word

• द्वादशायतनेत्राय: to the one with twelve extended eyes
• द्वादशायतनेत्राय: सम्प्रदान (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + आयत + नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; द्वादश आयतानि नेत्राणि यस्य (द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-भाव)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषण; (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन)

• उद्यतबाहवे: to the one with uplifted arms
• उद्यतबाहवे: सम्प्रदान (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्यत + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; उद्यताः बाहवः यस्य

• द्वादशायुधधाराय: to the bearer of twelve weapons
• द्वादशायुधधाराय: सम्प्रदान (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + आयुध + धार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; द्वादश आयुधानि धारयति इति/यस्य (धार-कर्ता-नाम)

• द्वादशात्मन्: O twelve-formed one
• द्वादशात्मन्: सम्बोधन (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; द्वादशात्मा (द्वादशरूप-स्वभाव)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: उक्तिविशेष (Utterance/उक्ति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), नमस्कारार्थे

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: to you/your
• ते: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन; ‘तव/ते’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Kailasha Samhita discourse to the sages, voicing a devotional eulogy to Lord Shiva)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: The ‘twelvefold’ imagery can be read as all-pervasive guardianship across loci/āyatanas—supporting the devotee’s stability (sthiti) and protection on the path to Śiva.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: dvādaśāyatanetrāya dvādaśodyatabāhave | dvādaśāyudhadhārāya dvādaśātmannamostu te

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: dipa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse praises Shiva as Pati—the all-pervading Lord—whose “twelvefold” vision, power, and inner presence indicate His governance of the cosmos and His immanence as the Atman, guiding the bound soul (pashu) toward liberation.

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

By describing Shiva with eyes, arms, and weapons, the verse supports Saguna contemplation—devotional meditation on Shiva’s manifest majesty—while implying that the same Lord is also the inner Self, which aligns with Linga worship as a unifying symbol of the transcendent and immanent Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use namaskāra and japa (especially “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while visualizing Shiva’s all-seeing presence; as a simple practice, recite this shloka as a stotra before Linga-pūjā, optionally with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as aids to Shaiva remembrance.