Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 22

मन्त्रसिद्धिः, प्रतिबन्धनिरासः, श्रद्धा-नियमाः

Mantra Efficacy, Removal of Obstacles, and the Role of Faith/Discipline

Devanagari script

उत्तरं विद्रुमप्रख्यं नीलालकविभूषितम् । पश्चिमं पूर्णचंद्राभं सौम्यमिंदुकलाधरम्

Transliteration

uttaraṃ vidrumaprakhyaṃ nīlālakavibhūṣitam | paścimaṃ pūrṇacaṃdrābhaṃ saumyamiṃdukalādharam

Translation

اس کا شمالی چہرہ مرجان کی مانند درخشاں تھا، نیلے گھنگریالے زلفوں سے آراستہ؛ اور مغربی چہرہ پورے چاند کی طرح روشن، سَومْیَ اور چاند کی کلا دھارَن کرنے والا تھا۔

Word by Word

• उत्तरम्: the northern (face/direction)
• उत्तरम्: कर्म (Karma/Accusative object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; दिक्शब्दः

• विद्रुम-प्रख्यम्: coral-like
• विद्रुम-प्रख्यम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विद्रुम (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ('resembling coral')

• नील-आलक-विभूषितम्: adorned with dark-blue curls
• नील-आलक-विभूषितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक) + आलक (प्रातिपदिक) + विभूषित (कृदन्त; भूष् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः (PPP) ‘विभूषित’ = भूष् (धातु) + क्त; तत्पुरुषः ('adorned with blue curls')

• पश्चिमम्: the western (face/direction)
• पश्चिमम्: कर्म (Karma/Accusative object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; दिक्शब्दः

• पूर्ण-चन्द्र-आभम्: shining like the full moon
• पूर्ण-चन्द्र-आभम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + आभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ('having the splendour of the full moon')

• सौम्यम्: gentle, auspicious
• सौम्यम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• इन्दु-कला-धरम्: bearing the moon’s crescent
• इन्दु-कला-धरम्: विशेषण (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक) + कला (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः ('bearing the moon’s digit/crescent')

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Vāmadeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: The north (coral radiance) and west (full-moon gentleness with crescent) aspects stabilize the devotee’s mind—supporting sthiti (sustaining) of dhyāna and bhakti, culminating in receptivity to grace.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents a dhyāna-style vision of Shiva’s auspicious (saumya) Saguna form—radiant, serene, and moon-crowned—so the devotee’s mind gains steadiness and purity, which Shaiva Siddhanta treats as a support for grace (anugraha) and liberation.

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

Though Shiva is ultimately beyond form (Niṣkala/Nirguna), the Purana teaches meditation on his manifest qualities (Sakala/Saguna) as a practical means. Such directional, luminous descriptions function like a mental linga-darśana—fixing attention on Shiva’s auspicious marks (especially the moon-bearing head) during pūjā and japa.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice Shiva-dhyāna during Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), visualizing Shiva as gentle and full-moon radiant, with the crescent moon on his head; this can be paired with traditional Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrākṣa for steadiness in worship.