Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 44

शिवतत्त्वे परापरभावविचारः

Inquiry into Śiva’s Principle and the Parā–Aparā Paradox

Devanagari script

स्वयमंतर्हितेनैव स्कन्दमिन्द्रादिरक्षितम् । तच्छक्त्या क्रौञ्चभेदिन्या युधि कालाग्निकल्पया

Transliteration

svayamaṃtarhitenaiva skandamindrādirakṣitam | tacchaktyā krauñcabhedinyā yudhi kālāgnikalpayā

Translation

اپنے آپ کے غائب ہو جانے سے اسکند کی حفاظت اندر وغیرہ دیوتاؤں نے کی؛ اور اسی کرونچ-شگاف، یُگانت کی آگ جیسی شکتی کے زور سے وہ جنگ میں غالب آیا۔

Word by Word

• svayam: by himself
• svayam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (स्वयम् अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/particle (स्वयम्—स्वतन्त्रताबोधक अव्यय)

• antarhitena: by (one who was) concealed/vanished
• antarhitena: Karaṇa (करण; by/with)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antarhita (अन्तर्हित प्रातिपदिक; past passive participle from antar-dhā)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण अव्यय)

• skandam: Skanda
• skandam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (स्कन्द प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• indra-ādi: Indra and others
• indra-ādi: Karta (कर्ता; implied agent of protection)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (इन्द्र) + ādi (आदि)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ‘indraḥ ādiḥ yeṣām’ sense → ‘Indra and others’ (group-denoting)

• rakṣitam: protected/guarded
• rakṣitam: Karma (कर्म; protected one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣ (रक्ष् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) agreeing with skandam (object treated as accusative; form used predicatively), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat: by that
• tat: Karaṇa (करण; by that)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन) in sandhi with śaktyā → tacchaktyā

• śaktyā: by (his) power/weapon
• śaktyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (शक्ति प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• krauñca-bhedinyā: by the Krauncha-splitting (power/weapon)
• krauñca-bhedinyā: Karaṇa (करण; by)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krauñca (क्रौञ्च) + bhedinī (भेदिनी; from bhid ‘to split’)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘krauñcaṃ bhedayati’ = ‘piercing/splitting Krauncha’

• yudhi: in battle
• yudhi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण; in)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudh (युध् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kālāgni-kalpayā: by (a power) like the cosmic fire of time
• kālāgni-kalpayā: Karaṇa (करण; by)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kālāgni (कालाग्नि) + kalpā (कल्पा; ‘like’)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘kālāgnir iva kalpā’ = ‘like the fire of time (cosmic fire)’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Śiva’s self-concealment (antarhita) dramatizes tirodhāna—concealment as a divine act—while still ensuring protection and victory through delegated śakti.

Shakti Dimension

Role: destructive

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: kālāgni imagery (pralaya-fire simile)

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Indra
• Devas

FAQs

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

It highlights that victory and protection arise from divine śakti and the devas’ support, reflecting Shaiva Siddhanta’s view that Pati (the Lord) empowers the soul and its allies to overcome binding forces (pāśa).

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

Skanda’s world-saving power is understood as the Lord’s manifest (saguṇa) grace operating through a divine form and energy; Linga-worship similarly focuses devotion on the accessible manifestation of Shiva’s protecting and liberating power.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Contemplate Shiva’s protective grace through japa of the Panchakshara (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and invoke śakti for inner victory; this pairs well with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as reminders of discipline and surrender.