Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 37

शब्दब्रह्मतनुवर्णनम् — Description of the Form of Śabda-Brahman

Devanagari script

टादिपंचाक्षरं पादास्तादिपंचाक्षरं तथा । पकार उदरं तस्य फकारः पार्श्व उच्यते

Transliteration

ṭādipaṃcākṣaraṃ pādāstādipaṃcākṣaraṃ tathā | pakāra udaraṃ tasya phakāraḥ pārśva ucyate

Translation

‘ట’తో ప్రారంభమయ్యే ఐదు అక్షరాలు పాదాలలో; అలాగే ‘త’తో ప్రారంభమయ్యే ఐదు అక్షరాలు కూడా. ‘ప’ అక్షరం ఆయన ఉదరం, ‘ఫ’ అక్షరం ఆయన పార్శ్వమని చెప్పబడింది.

Word by Word

• टादिपञ्चाक्षरम्: the five syllables beginning with ṭa
• टादिपञ्चाक्षरम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: टादि + पञ्च + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'टादि पञ्च अक्षरम्' (the five-syllable set beginning with ṭa)

• पादाः: feet
• पादाः: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/अधिकरण-निर्देश), बहुवचन

• तादिपञ्चाक्षरम्: the five syllables beginning with ta
• तादिपञ्चाक्षरम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तादि + पञ्च + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'तादि पञ्च अक्षरम्' (the five-syllable set beginning with ta)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• पकारः: the letter/sound pa
• पकारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• उदरम्: belly/abdomen
• उदरम्: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• फकारः: the letter/sound pha
• फकारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• पार्श्वम्: side/flank
• पार्श्वम्: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उच्यते: is said/is called
• उच्यते: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Tatpuruṣa

Mantra Metadata

Type: kavaca

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Stabilization (sthiti) motif: installing syllables in feet/abdomen suggests grounding the mantra-deity in the sādhaka’s embodied field.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches mantra-śarīra-bhāvanā (visualizing the mantra as Shiva’s living form): placing syllable-groups on limbs sanctifies the practitioner’s body as a fit vessel for Shiva’s grace, aligning the finite self (paśu) toward Pati (Shiva).

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

Nyāsa supports saguna-upāsanā by giving the devotee a concrete, embodied way to approach Shiva—treating the mantra as Shiva’s manifested form and the worshipper’s body as a temple, complementing Linga worship and mantra-japa.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform kara-nyāsa/anga-nyāsa (placing designated syllables on specific limbs) before japa of Shiva-mantras; then continue with steady repetition and inner visualization of Shiva pervading the body.