Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 20

मन्वन्तर-कल्प-प्रश्नोत्तरम् / Discourse on Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Re-creation

Devanagari script

क्व सा भगवती या तु मनोज्ञा महती मही । नानाविधमहाशैलनदीनगरकानना

Transliteration

kva sā bhagavatī yā tu manojñā mahatī mahī | nānāvidhamahāśailanadīnagarakānanā

Translation

แผ่นดินอันเป็นมงคล งดงาม และกว้างใหญ่ผืนนั้นอยู่ที่ใด—ซึ่งประดับด้วยภูเขาใหญ่หลากชนิด แม่น้ำ เมือง และพนานานา?

Word by Word

• kva: where
• kva: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Place - interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-praśna-avyaya (देश-प्रश्न-अव्यय/Interrogative adverb of place)

• sā: that (she)
• sā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन), Demonstrative pronoun

• bhagavatī: the Blessed Lady
• bhagavatī: Karta (कर्ता/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता/Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन), Relative pronoun

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Virodha/Avadhāraṇa (विरोध/अवधारण particle)

• manojñā: charming
• manojñā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manojña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• mahatī: great
• mahatī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• mahī: earth
• mahī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)

• nānā-vidha-mahā-śaila-nadī-nagara-kānanā: with various great mountains, rivers, cities, and forests
• nānā-vidha-mahā-śaila-nadī-nagara-kānanā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mahī)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + vidha (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + śaila (प्रातिपदिक) + nadī (प्रातिपदिक) + nagara (प्रातिपदिक) + kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन); long Tatpuruṣa describing mahī: 'having various kinds of great mountains, rivers, cities, forests' (samāhāra/description)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Sadyojāta

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Bhūdevī (as Mahī)

Role: nurturing

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: submergence of the manifest world hinted (earth with mountains/rivers/cities not found)

FAQs

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

It evokes the Earth as a divinely ordered realm suitable for dharma and Shaiva sadhana, implying that the world’s beauty and structure ultimately point toward Pati (Shiva) as the sustaining Lord.

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

By highlighting Earth’s sacred landscape, the verse supports the Shaiva view that Saguna Shiva is approached through holy places, temples, and Lingas established within this very world as accessible supports for devotion.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is tirtha-yatra and temple-darshana with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), treating sacred landscapes as aids for steadiness of mind and bhakti.