Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 8

सतीचरिते पितृगृहे आशीर्वाद-वचनम् तथा यौवनारम्भः — Satī at her father’s house: blessings and the onset of youth

Devanagari script

इत्थं विहारै रुचिरैः कौमारैर्भक्तवत्सला । जहाववस्थां कौमारीं स्वेच्छाधृतनराकृतिः

Transliteration

itthaṃ vihārai ruciraiḥ kaumārairbhaktavatsalā | jahāvavasthāṃ kaumārīṃ svecchādhṛtanarākṛtiḥ

Translation

ดังนั้น ด้วยการเสด็จสำราญในกีฬาวัยเยาว์อันงดงาม พระเทวีผู้เอ็นดูภักตะ—ผู้ทรงรับรูปมนุษย์ด้วยพระประสงค์ของพระองค์เอง—ค่อย ๆ วางภาวะความเป็นกุมารีลง.

Word by Word

• इत्थम्: thus
• इत्थम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (thus, in this way)

• विहारैः: by pastimes/sports
• विहारैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• रुचिरैः: charming
• रुचिरैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (विहारैः)

• कौमारैः: youthful/childlike
• कौमारैः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (विहारैः)

• भक्त-वत्सला: affectionate to devotees
• भक्त-वत्सला: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक) + वत्सल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भक्तेषु वत्सला)

• जहौ: abandoned/left
• जहौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अवस्थाम्: state/condition
• अवस्थाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कौमारीम्: maidenly/virginal
• कौमारीम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौमारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अवस्थाम्)

• स्वेच्छा-धृत-नर-आकृतिः: she whose human form was assumed by her own will
• स्वेच्छा-धृत-नर-आकृतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वेच्छा (प्रातिपदिक) + धृत (कृदन्त; धृ धातु, क्त) + नर (प्रातिपदिक) + आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (स्वेच्छया धृता नराकृतिः यस्या)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse frames Satī’s voluntary human embodiment and maturation as part of the Dakṣa–Satī–Śiva narrative that culminates in the sacrificial conflict.

Significance: Didactic/purāṇic: emphasizes the Goddess’s compassion for devotees and her līlā of assuming human form, inspiring bhakti and śaraṇāgati.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Sati
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It emphasizes īśvara-śakti acting through līlā: the Goddess, moved by compassion for devotees, freely assumes a human condition and transitions through life-stages, showing that the Divine engages the world without being bound by it.

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

By highlighting a chosen human embodiment, the verse supports saguna-upāsanā: devotees approach Shiva and Shakti through accessible forms and narratives, which mature devotion toward the higher, transcendent reality represented by the Linga.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is bhakti with japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—remembering that divine grace meets the devotee in approachable forms; optionally accompanied by Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as Shaiva aids to steady remembrance.