Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 17

शब्दब्रह्मतनुवर्णनम् — Description of the Form of Śabda-Brahman

Devanagari script

एकाक्षरान्मकाराख्याद्भगवान्नीललोहितः । सर्गकर्ता त्वकाराख्यो ह्युकाराख्यस्तु मोहकः

Transliteration

ekākṣarānmakārākhyādbhagavānnīlalohitaḥ | sargakartā tvakārākhyo hyukārākhyastu mohakaḥ

Translation

‘మ’ అనే ఏకాక్షరమునుండి భగవాన్ నీలలోహితుడు ప్రాదుర్భవిస్తాడు. ‘త’ అక్షరమునుండి సర్గకర్త, ‘హు’ అక్షరం మోహకుడు—మాయచే జీవులను ఆవరిస్తాడు.

Word by Word

• एकाक्षरात्: from the one syllable
• एकाक्षरात्: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकाक्षर (प्रातिपदिक; एक + अक्षर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular

• मकाराख्यात्: called ‘ma-kāra’
• मकाराख्यात्: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मकाराख्य (प्रातिपदिक; मकार + आख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• नीललोहितः: Nīlalohita (blue-red one; Rudra)
• नीललोहितः: Viśeṣya-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीललोहित (प्रातिपदिक; नील + लोहित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (epithet)

• सर्गकर्ता: the creator of creation
• सर्गकर्ता: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्गकर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; सर्ग + कर्तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/विरोधार्थक-अन्वय (particle, contrast/emphasis)

• अकाराख्यः: the one called ‘a-kāra’
• अकाराख्यः: Viśeṣya-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकाराख्य (प्रातिपदिक; अकार + आख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle of emphasis/causal nuance)

• उकाराख्यः: the one called ‘u-kāra’
• उकाराख्यः: Viśeṣya-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उकाराख्य (प्रातिपदिक; उकार + आख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• मोहकः: the deluder/enchanter
• मोहकः: Viśeṣya-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोहक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudra Samhita’s Srishti Khanda teaching to the sages, with the account rooted in Brahma’s creation-context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Nīlakaṇṭha

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: ॐ—म (makāra) … (and phonemes ‘ta’, ‘hu’ as causal/veiling agencies in this passage)

Type: gayatri

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Functional differentiation of cosmic agencies: creation-maker and deluder (mohana) as aspects within phonemic cosmology

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Nīlalohita (Rudra)

FAQs

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

It teaches that cosmic functions are expressed through sacred sound (bīja/varṇa): Rudra (Nīlalohita) manifests as the divine power behind creation and also as the veiling force that produces delusion—highlighting that bondage and liberation both operate under Shiva’s sovereignty.

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

By identifying Nīlalohita as arising from mantra-syllables, the verse supports Saguna worship where Shiva is approached through sound, symbol, and form—especially in Linga worship, where mantra-japa and inner contemplation make the formless (Nirguna) accessible through a sacred emblem (Saguna upāsanā).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Mantra-oriented meditation: contemplate Shiva as the source of creation and the remover of delusion while practicing japa (especially Shaiva mantras such as the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), with the intent to pierce māyā through devotion and discernment.