Shloka 19

एकोनविंशतिशिवावतारवर्णनम्

Description of the Nineteen Manifestations/Avatāras of Śiva

Devanagari script

महालये महोत्तुंगे शिवक्षेत्रं हिमाल यम् । उतथ्यो वामदेवश्च महायोगो महाबलः

Transliteration

mahālaye mahottuṃge śivakṣetraṃ himāla yam | utathyo vāmadevaśca mahāyogo mahābalaḥ

Translation

مہالَی کے نہایت بلند ہمالیائی خطّے میں ایک مقدّس شِو-کشیتر ہے۔ وہاں اُتَتھْیَ اور وام دیو—مہایوگی، عظیم روحانی قوّت اور بل کے حامل—قیام پذیر ہیں۔

Word by Word

• mahā-ālaye: in the great abode
• mahā-ālaye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (7th/सप्तमी, sg.)

• mahā-uttuṅge: very lofty
• mahā-uttuṅge: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + uttuṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी एकवचन (7th/सप्तमी, sg.); विशेषणम् (qualifier of ālaya/śikhara implied)

• śiva-kṣetram: Śiva’s sacred field/holy place
• śiva-kṣetram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, ‘śivasya kṣetram’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (nom./acc. sg.)

• himālayam: the Himālaya
• himālayam: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (nom./acc. sg.); (पाठभेदे ‘himāla yam’ इति सन्धिविच्छेदः न युक्तः)

• utathyaḥ: Utathya
• utathyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: utathya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.)

• vāmadevaḥ: Vāmadeva
• vāmadevaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmadeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• mahā-yogaḥ: the great yogin / great yoga-master
• mahā-yogaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.); विशेषणवत् उपाधि (epithet)

• mahā-balaḥ: very strong; of great strength
• mahā-balaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (1st/प्रथमा, sg.); विशेषणम्

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Identifies a Himalayan ‘Śiva-kṣetra’—a sanctified field where great yogins (Utathya, Vāmadeva) dwell—implying a siddha-bhūmi where Śiva’s grace is especially accessible through yoga and tapas.

Significance: Frames Himalayan Śiva-kṣetras as power-centers (kṣetra) where yogic attainment and Śiva-anugraha converge; encourages tīrtha-yātrā and inner pilgrimage (antar-yātrā) through yoga.

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Utathya
• Vamadeva
• Himalaya

FAQs

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

It highlights the Himalaya as a supremely elevated Śiva-kṣetra where perfected sages abide, implying that proximity to Śiva (through sacred space and inner yoga) supports purification and liberation under Śiva’s grace (Pati).

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

By naming a Śiva-kṣetra, the verse points to places where Saguna Śiva is approached through temple/linga worship, while the presence of great yogins indicates the inward realization that complements outward devotion—both culminating in Śiva’s anugraha (grace).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Pilgrimage to Śiva-kṣetras with disciplined yoga: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), meditation on Śiva, and traditional Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as supports for steadiness and devotion.