Shloka 28

प्रणवमहिमा — The Greatness of the Praṇava (Om) as Śiva

Devanagari script

अष्टावघोररूपिण्यो मकारे संस्थिताः कलाः । बिन्दौ चतस्रस्संभूताः कलाः पुरुषगोचराः

Transliteration

aṣṭāvaghorarūpiṇyo makāre saṃsthitāḥ kalāḥ | bindau catasrassaṃbhūtāḥ kalāḥ puruṣagocarāḥ

Translation

Walong kalā na may anyong Aghora ay nananahan sa pantig na ‘ma’. At sa bindu ay sumisibol ang apat na kalā na nasasaklaw ng pagdama ng puruṣa (sariling kaluluwa).

Word by Word

• अष्ट: eight
• अष्ट: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा-बहुवचनार्थे (agreeing with कलाः)

• अघोर-रूपिण्यः: having Aghora-form
• अघोर-रूपिण्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अघोर (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः: ‘अघोररूपं यस्याः’ (having the form of Aghora)

• मकारे: in the letter ‘ma’
• मकारे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• संस्थिताः: situated
• संस्थिताः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, क्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अर्थः ‘situated/established’

• कलाः: energies/parts (kalās)
• कलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• बिन्दौ: in the bindu (dot)
• बिन्दौ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• चतस्रः: four
• चतस्रः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतस् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘four’ (agreeing with कलाः)

• सम्भूताः: arisen
• सम्भूताः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-भू (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, क्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; अर्थः ‘arisen/produced’

• कलाः: energies/parts (kalās)
• कलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• पुरुष-गोचराः: within human perception
• पुरुष-गोचराः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘पुरुषस्य गोचराः’ (within the range of persons/men; perceptible to humans)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shaiva mantra-tattva to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Aghoramūrti

Mantra Metadata

Type: panchakshara

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Śabda-brahman/kalā-krama emergence: kalā in varṇa, bindu as causal seed-point for manifestation.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It maps subtle śakti-units (kalās) onto mantra-structure (makāra and bindu), showing how Śiva’s auspicious Aghora power becomes accessible to the soul’s awareness, guiding the jīva from limited cognition toward Śiva-realization.

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

Aghora is a Saguna aspect of Śiva associated with grace and purification; contemplating kalās in syllables and bindu aligns mantra-japa with Linga-upāsanā, where the worshipper approaches Śiva through form while being led to the subtler source (bindu).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Panchākṣarī-japa with focused dhyāna on the syllable ‘ma’ and the bindu (nasal/seed-point), performed with Śiva-pūjā markers like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, to steady awareness and invoke Aghora’s purifying grace.