Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 31

दक्षस्य रुद्रनिन्दा-निमित्तकथनम् / The Cause of Dakṣa’s Censure of Rudra

Devanagari script

तारापरिषदो मध्ये चंद्रलेखेव शारदी । ततः शंखसमुत्थस्य नादस्य समनंतरम्

Transliteration

tārāpariṣado madhye caṃdralekheva śāradī | tataḥ śaṃkhasamutthasya nādasya samanaṃtaram

Translation

ท่ามกลางหมู่ดาวในสภานั้น นางส่องสว่างดุจเสี้ยวจันทร์ใสในฤดูสารท แล้วทันใดนั้นก็ได้ยินเสียงกังวานที่เกิดขึ้นจากสังข์

Word by Word

• तारा-परिषदः: of the assembly of stars
• तारा-परिषदः: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारा (प्रातिपदिक) + परिषद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ताराणां परिषदः)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• चन्द्र-लेखा: the moon’s crescent line
• चन्द्र-लेखा: उपमान (Upamāna/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + लेखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चन्द्रस्य लेखा)

• इव: like
• इव: उपमा-सूचक (Comparative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — उपमा-निपात (particle of comparison)

• शारदी: the autumnal (night/brightness)
• शारदी: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शारदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; (विशेष्य understood: ‘रात्रिः/ज्योत्स्ना’ etc.)

• ततः: then
• ततः: क्रम/काल (Sequential marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb (sequence: ‘then/from there’)

• शंख-समुत्थस्य: arisen from the conch
• शंख-समुत्थस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + समुत्थ (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular; पञ्चमी/तत्पुरुष-भाव (‘from the conch arisen’) qualifying ‘नादस्य’

• नादस्य: of the sound
• नादस्य: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• समनन्तरम्: immediately thereafter
• समनन्तरम्: कालाधिकरण (Temporal adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग — adverbial accusative (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning ‘immediately after’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not tied to a specific Jyotirliṅga; the simile of the autumnal crescent amid stars frames the Goddess as a cooling, clarifying presence before auspicious ritual sounds (śaṅkha-nāda).

Significance: Hearing/remembering śaṅkha-nāda as auspicious commencement (maṅgala) supports sāttvika bhāva and readiness for darśana and worship.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Chandra (Moon)
• Tara (stars)

FAQs

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

The verse uses the image of the pure autumn crescent to indicate sattvic clarity and divine auspiciousness, while the conch-sound signals a sacred transition—an invocation that prepares the mind for Shiva-centered revelation and grace (anugraha) in the narrative.

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

The conch-sound is a classic marker of formal worship and auspicious commencement; in Saguna Shiva worship it frames the devotee’s approach to the Linga with reverence, purity, and focused attention, supporting devotion that ultimately matures toward knowledge of Shiva as Pati (the Lord).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests beginning worship with auspicious sounds (such as śaṅkha-nāda) and cultivating inner clarity—steadying the mind before japa (e.g., the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) or dhyāna, as one would at the start of a Shiva puja.