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

یوں دلکش نوخیز کھیلوں کے ذریعے، بھکتوں پر مہربان دیوی—جس نے اپنی مرضی سے انسانی صورت اختیار کی تھی—آہستہ آہستہ اپنی کنواری حالت سے آگے بڑھنے لگی۔

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.