Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 32

कैलासमार्गे शङ्करस्य परीक्षा — Śiva Tests the Approachers on the Kailāsa Path

Devanagari script

त्वमेवासि महादेव तमसा हररूपधृक् । लीलया भुवनं सर्वं निखिलं पांचभौतिकम्

Transliteration

tvamevāsi mahādeva tamasā hararūpadhṛk | līlayā bhuvanaṃ sarvaṃ nikhilaṃ pāṃcabhautikam

Translation

آپ ہی مہادیو ہیں۔ تموگُن سے آپ ہَر (ہرا) کا روپ دھارتے ہیں؛ اور اپنی لیلا سے پانچ بھوتوں سے بنا یہ سارا بھون پھیلا کر سنبھالتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; pronoun

• eva: alone/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (restrictive particle)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, Madhyamapuruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• mahādeva: O Mahādeva
• mahādeva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana vibhakti (vocative), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya-samāsa

• tamasā: by/with tamas (darkness)
• tamasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka (neuter), Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• hara-rūpa-dhṛk: bearing the form of Hara
• hara-rūpa-dhṛk: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhṛk (कृदन्त; √dhṛ धृ धातु, क्विप् ‘dhṛk’ = bearer)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: harasya rūpaṃ dharati iti (bearer of Hara-form)

• līlayā: by play/sport
• līlayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• bhuvanam: the world
• bhuvanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of bhuvanam

• nikhilam: entire
• nikhilam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nikhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; appositional viśeṣaṇa

• pāṃca-bhautikam: consisting of five elements
• pāṃca-bhautikam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + bhautika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; dvigu-samāsa: pañcabhautikaṃ (made of five elements)

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa dialogue; verse voiced as a devotee’s praise within the narration)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Contemplation on Śiva as Mahādeva who governs tamas and dissolution strengthens vairāgya and fearlessness before change and death.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Śiva’s līlā as immanent governance of the pañcabhūta universe; tamas as the modality for withdrawal/dissolution under Hara-function.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Mahadeva
• Hara

FAQs

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

The verse affirms Shiva as the one Supreme (Pati) who, while transcendent, also manifests through the guṇas—here highlighting tamas as a functional power—so the entire five-element cosmos operates within his līlā, guiding the soul toward recognizing Shiva as the ultimate support.

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

By declaring that Shiva assumes form and pervades the five-element universe, it supports Saguna worship: the Liṅga is revered as the accessible, all-pervading sign of Shiva’s presence within and beyond the pañcabhūtas, making devotion concrete while pointing to the Supreme.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as present in the pañcabhūtas—offer water, lamp/fire, incense/air, and flowers/earth to the Liṅga while repeating the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” contemplating that all elements and their powers are upheld by Mahādeva.