Shloka 46

Mahiṣāsura’s Conquest of Svarga and the Devas’ Appeal to Śiva and Viṣṇu

Devanagari script

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे पञ्चम्यामुमासंहितायां महिषासुरवधोपाख्याने महालक्ष्म्यवतारवर्णनं नाम षट्चत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe pañcamyāmumāsaṃhitāyāṃ mahiṣāsuravadhopākhyāne mahālakṣmyavatāravarṇanaṃ nāma ṣaṭcatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

ఇట్లు శ్రీశివ మహాపురాణంలోని ఐదవ భాగమైన ఉమాసంహితలో, మహిషాసురవధోపాఖ్యానాంతర్గతంగా ‘మహాలక్ష్మీ అవతారవర్ణనం’ అనే నలభై ఆరవ అధ్యాయం సమాప్తమైంది.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-sūcaka (वाक्यार्थसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक (quotative/end marker)

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (ग्रन्थनाम) ‘शिवस्य महापुराणम्’

• pañcamyām: in the fifth (book)
• pañcamyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (in the fifth [book])

• umā-saṃhitāyām: in the Umāsaṃhitā
• umā-saṃhitāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नामधारक) ‘उमायाः संहिता’

• mahiṣāsura-vadha-upākhyāne: in the episode of the slaying of Mahiṣāsura
• mahiṣāsura-vadha-upākhyāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahiṣāsura (प्रातिपदिक) + vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + upākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘महिषासुरवधस्य उपाख्यानम्’

• mahā-lakṣmī-avatāra-varṇanam: description of Mahālakṣmī’s incarnation
• mahā-lakṣmī-avatāra-varṇanam: Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahālakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक) + avatāra (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘महालक्ष्म्याः अवतारस्य वर्णनम्’

• nāma: named
• nāma: Saṃjñā-sūcaka (संज्ञासूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः/निपात (particle) used in colophons meaning ‘named/called’

• ṣaṭ-catvāriṃśaḥ: forty-sixth
• ṣaṭ-catvāriṃśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या) + catvāriṃśat (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः = 46th (six-and-forty)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami (traditional Purāṇic colophon framing, addressed to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Colophon marking the close of Umāsaṃhitā chapter 46: the upākhyāna of Mahiṣāsura-vadha and the avatāra-varṇana of Mahālakṣmī.

Significance: Textual śravaṇa/paṭhana merit: hearing the avatāra-varṇana is traditionally held to confer protection and devotion (rakṣā-bhakti).

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Lalitā

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Uma (Parvati)
• Mahiṣāsura
• Mahālakṣmī

FAQs

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

This is a concluding colophon marking the completion of a chapter; spiritually, it highlights the Purāṇic method of preserving sacred teaching by clearly situating the narrative—here, the manifestation of divine Śakti (Mahālakṣmī) within the Śiva-centered revelation of the Umāsaṃhitā.

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

Though not a direct Linga-instruction, it frames a Śaiva context where Saguna Shiva is understood together with Śakti; the chapter title signals that divine power (Śakti) manifests for dharma, supporting the devotee’s integrated worship of Shiva (Pati) with His inseparable power.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

As a colophon, it implies no specific rite; a practical takeaway is to conclude recitation with mindful closure—offering the merit to Shiva, remembering the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and maintaining bhakti with purity (e.g., Tripuṇḍra/bhasma and japa) according to one’s tradition.