Shloka 18

एकोनविंशतिशिवावतारवर्णनम्

Description of the Nineteen Manifestations/Avatāras of Śiva

Devanagari script

परिवर्त्ते सप्तदशे व्यासो देवकृतंजयः । गुहावासीति नाम्नाहं हिमवच्छिखरे शुभे

Transliteration

parivartte saptadaśe vyāso devakṛtaṃjayaḥ | guhāvāsīti nāmnāhaṃ himavacchikhare śubhe

Translation

سترھویں تبدیلی کے چکر میں ویاس ‘دیَوَکرتَنجَیَ’ کے نام سے معروف تھے؛ اور میں ‘گُہاوَاسی’ کے نام سے شُبھ ہِمَوان کی چوٹی پر مقیم تھا۔

Word by Word

• parivartte: in the cycle/period
• parivartte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parivartta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (7th/सप्तमी, sg.); ‘in the cycle/turn (of time)’

• saptadaśe: in the seventeenth
• saptadaśe: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptadaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (Dvigu) ‘sapta+daśa’; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (7th/सप्तमी, sg.); क्रमवाचक (ordinal)

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.)

• deva-kṛtaṃjayaḥ: Devakṛtaṃjaya (name/epithet)
• deva-kṛtaṃjayaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛtaṃjaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha), ‘devaiḥ kṛtaṃ jayaḥ’/‘deva-kṛta-jaya’ इति नाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.)

• guhā-vāsī: cave-dweller
• guhā-vāsī: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsī (कृदन्त, √vas वस्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, ‘guhāyāṃ vāsī’ इति; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.)

• iti: thus; as
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• nāmnā: by the name
• nāmnā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (3rd/तृतीया, sg.); ‘by name’

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.)

• himavat-śikhare: on the peak of Himavat (Himalaya)
• himavat-śikhare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himavat (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha), ‘himavataḥ śikhare’ इति; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (7th/सप्तमी, sg.)

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (7th/सप्तमी, sg.); विशेषणम् (qualifier of śikhare)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse situates transmission across ‘parivartas’ (cycles): different Vyāsas appear with distinct epithets, while the narrator identifies himself as ‘Guhāvāsī’ dwelling on Himavat—evoking a hidden/withdrawn locus of revelation and preservation of Śaiva knowledge.

Significance: Highlights Himavat as a perennial seat of tapas and scriptural preservation; the ‘cave-dweller’ motif sacralizes guhā as a womb-like space for inner realization and guarded doctrine.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: parivarta (cyclical re-manifestation of Vyāsa-lineage)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vyasa
• Himavan

FAQs

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

It highlights Shiva’s recurring manifestation across cosmic cycles and emphasizes tapas (austerity) and sacred solitude—symbolized by the cave and the Himalaya—as a Shaiva path for inner purification and liberation.

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

By naming a specific form (‘Guhāvāsī’) and sacred abode, the verse supports Saguna-oriented devotion—worshipping Shiva through identifiable forms and holy places—while pointing to the deeper Nirguna truth realized through austerity and contemplation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests Himalayan-style tapas: steady japa of the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), meditation in solitude, and disciplined purity (often supported in Shaiva practice by bhasma and rudrākṣa).