Shloka 28

Devanagari script

अष्टावघोररूपिण्यो मकारे संस्थिताः कलाः । बिन्दौ चतस्रस्संभूताः कलाः पुरुषगोचराः

Transliteration

aṣṭāvaghorarūpiṇyo makāre saṃsthitāḥ kalāḥ | bindau catasrassaṃbhūtāḥ kalāḥ puruṣagocarāḥ

Translation

‘మ’ అక్షరంలో అఘోరరూపిణి ఎనిమిది కళలు స్థితమై ఉన్నాయి; బిందువులో నాలుగు కళలు ఉద్భవిస్తాయి, అవి పురుషుడు (జీవుడు) గ్రహించగలవి।

Word by Word

• अष्ट: eight
• अष्ट: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा-बहुवचनार्थे (agreeing with कलाः)

• अघोर-रूपिण्यः: having Aghora-form
• अघोर-रूपिण्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अघोर (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः: ‘अघोररूपं यस्याः’ (having the form of Aghora)

• मकारे: in the letter ‘ma’
• मकारे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• संस्थिताः: situated
• संस्थिताः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, क्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अर्थः ‘situated/established’

• कलाः: energies/parts (kalās)
• कलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• बिन्दौ: in the bindu (dot)
• बिन्दौ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• चतस्रः: four
• चतस्रः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतस् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘four’ (agreeing with कलाः)

• सम्भूताः: arisen
• सम्भूताः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-भू (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, क्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अर्थः ‘arisen/produced’

• कलाः: energies/parts (kalās)
• कलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• पुरुष-गोचराः: within human perception
• पुरुष-गोचराः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘पुरुषस्य गोचराः’ (within the range of persons/men; perceptible to humans)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shaiva mantra-tattva to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Aghoramūrti

Mantra Metadata

Type: panchakshara

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Śabda-brahman/kalā-krama emergence: kalā in varṇa, bindu as causal seed-point for manifestation.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It maps subtle śakti-units (kalās) onto mantra-structure (makāra and bindu), showing how Śiva’s auspicious Aghora power becomes accessible to the soul’s awareness, guiding the jīva from limited cognition toward Śiva-realization.

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

Aghora is a Saguna aspect of Śiva associated with grace and purification; contemplating kalās in syllables and bindu aligns mantra-japa with Linga-upāsanā, where the worshipper approaches Śiva through form while being led to the subtler source (bindu).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Panchākṣarī-japa with focused dhyāna on the syllable ‘ma’ and the bindu (nasal/seed-point), performed with Śiva-pūjā markers like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, to steady awareness and invoke Aghora’s purifying grace.