Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 34

दक्षस्य तपः तथा जगदम्बायाः प्रत्यक्षता — Dakṣa’s Austerities and the Direct Manifestation of Jagadambā

Devanagari script

यदा भवान् मयि पुनर्भवेन्मंदादरस्तपा । देहं त्यक्ष्ये निजं सत्यं स्वात्मन्यस्म्यथ वेतरम्

Transliteration

yadā bhavān mayi punarbhavenmaṃdādarastapā | dehaṃ tyakṣye nijaṃ satyaṃ svātmanyasmyatha vetaram

Translation

ఓ తపస్వీ, నీవు మళ్లీ నాపట్ల నిరాదరంగా మారినప్పుడు, నిజంగా నేను ఈ దేహాన్ని త్యజిస్తాను. అప్పుడు నేను నా స్వాత్మలో స్థితమవుతాను—లేదా ఇతరత్రా వెళ్లిపోతాను.

Word by Word

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• bhavān: you (sir)
• bhavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); honorific 2nd-person reference

• mayi: in me / towards me
• mayi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Saptamī (7/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• punar: again
• punar: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

• bhavet: should be/become
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ (विधिलिङ्), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• manda-ādaraḥ: with diminished regard
• manda-ādaraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manda (प्रातिपदिक) + ādara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘having weak respect/attention’

• tapāḥ: austerity/penance
• tapāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); Vedic/epic nominative in -āḥ

• deham: body
• deham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tyakṣye: I will abandon
• tyakṣye: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ (लुट्) Future, Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• nijam: my own
• nijam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); agrees with deham

• satyam: truly
• satyam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya used as asseverative (सत्यं = ‘truly/indeed’)

• sva-ātmani: in my own self
• sva-ātmani: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Saptamī (7/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘in one’s own self’

• asmi: I am
• asmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्) Present, Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• atha: then/and
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunctive/sequence particle (अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa-avyaya (विकल्प अव्यय)

• itaram: other/otherwise
• itaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) (or Puṃliṅga by context), Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन); predicative ‘other/otherwise’

Speaker

Satī (addressing Lord Śiva as the ascetic)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Sati

FAQs

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

Satī expresses that love for Śiva is not merely emotional but existential: if Śiva’s regard becomes distant, she resolves to renounce bodily life and abide in the Self. In a Śaiva Siddhānta lens, it highlights vairāgya (dispassion) and the primacy of union with Pati (Śiva) over attachment to the transient body.

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

The verse reflects single-pointed devotion (ananya-bhakti) to Saguna Śiva—personal, relational worship—where the devotee’s life is oriented entirely around Śiva’s grace and presence. Such intensity is the inner mood behind Linga-upāsanā: steadfast reverence rather than lukewarm attention.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is unwavering remembrance of Śiva: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with a steady mind, supported by simple Śaiva observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as aids to constancy rather than intermittent devotion.