Shiva Purana — Kailasa Samhita, Shloka 15

सृष्टिपद्धतिवर्णनम्

Exposition of the Supreme Method of Creation and the Tirodhāna-Cakra

Devanagari script

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे षष्ठ्यां कैलाससंहितायामुपासनामूर्त्तिवर्णनं नाम पंचदशोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe ṣaṣṭhyāṃ kailāsasaṃhitāyāmupāsanāmūrttivarṇanaṃ nāma paṃcadaśo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Sa gayon, sa Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa—sa Ikaanim na Aklat, ang Kailāsa Saṃhitā—nagtatapos ang ikalabinlimang kabanata na pinamagatang “Paglalarawan ng Anyo ng Pagsamba (kay Śiva).”

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Colophon marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; समाप्तिसूचक-निपात (thus/end marker)

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Saptamī (सप्तमी/7th case, Locative), Ekavacana; कर्मधारय-प्रधान समासः (title compound)

• ṣaṣṭhyām: in the sixth
• ṣaṣṭhyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Saptamī (सप्तमी/7th case), Ekavacana; ordinal used adjectivally (in the sixth)

• kailāsa-saṃhitāyām: in the Kailāsa-saṃhitā
• kailāsa-saṃhitāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kailāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—'कैलासस्य संहिता'

• upāsanā-mūrti-varṇanam: the description of the worship-form (icon/form of worship)
• upāsanā-mūrti-varṇanam: Karta (कर्ता/Title/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāsanā (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; तत्पुरुषः—'उपासना-मूर्तेः वर्णनम्' (description of the worship-form)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya-prayoga (अव्ययप्रयोग) as नाम-शब्दः in colophon meaning 'named/called'

• paṃcadaśaḥ: fifteenth
• paṃcadaśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃcadaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; द्विगु-समासः (numeral compound) used as ordinal 'fifteenth'

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This is a colophon marking the completion of a chapter that defines Śiva’s worship-form, emphasizing that disciplined upāsanā of the Lord’s manifest (saguṇa) form is a valid doorway toward grace and liberation.

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

By naming the chapter “Upāsanā-mūrti-varṇana,” it signals a focus on how Śiva is approached in worship through a concrete form—such as the Liṅga or a meditational icon—so the mind can settle, become purified, and turn toward the Supreme Pati.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse itself is an ending marker, but the chapter-title implies upāsanā: steady worship and meditation on Śiva’s form—typically supported by mantra-japa (e.g., Pañcākṣarī), devotional offerings, and contemplative visualization.