Shloka 40

शिवध्यानपूजनवर्णनम्

Description of Śiva Meditation and Worship

Devanagari script

विन्यसेत्क्रमशो मूर्त्तौ तत्तन्मुद्राविचक्षणः । आवाहयेत्ततो देवं पुष्पाञ्जलिपुटस्थितः

Transliteration

vinyasetkramaśo mūrttau tattanmudrāvicakṣaṇaḥ | āvāhayettato devaṃ puṣpāñjalipuṭasthitaḥ

Translation

善巧于诸仪式手印（mudrā）者，应依次将其安置于圣像（mūrti）之上。随后，双手捧持一掬鲜花以表恭敬供献，当行“阿瓦哈那”（āvāhana）之请召，迎请天神——主宰湿婆——入于此形相以受礼拜。

Word by Word

• vinyaset: should place/arrange
• vinyaset: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√nyas (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kramaśaḥ: successively
• kramaśaḥ: Prakāra (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kramaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘in order, successively’

• mūrtau: in the form/icon
• mūrtau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat-tat-mudrā-vicakṣaṇaḥ: one skilled in the respective mudrās
• tat-tat-mudrā-vicakṣaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + mudrā (प्रातिपदिक) + vicakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘skilled in those-and-those mudrās’

• āvāhayet: should invoke
• āvāhayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√vah (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘then/thereafter’

• devam: the deity
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• puṣpa-añjali-puṭa-sthitaḥ: standing with flowers in the cupped joined hands
• puṣpa-añjali-puṭa-sthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + añjali (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (√sthā; कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); past participle (क्त) ‘standing/being’; locative-tatpurusha sense: ‘situated in a hollow (puṭa) of joined hands (añjali) with flowers’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: (āvāhana-mantra implied; not quoted in the verse)

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that devotion is supported by orderly sacred action: through mudrā and āvāhana the devotee steadies mind and prāṇa, inviting Śiva’s gracious presence into worship, which purifies the soul (paśu) and loosens bondage (pāśa) by the Lord (Pati).

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

The verse describes āvāhana—invoking the Lord into a worshipable form—showing Saguna-upāsanā (worship with form). This applies to both Śiva-liṅga and mūrti worship, where the devotee approaches the transcendent Śiva through a consecrated, accessible manifestation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform the prescribed mudrās in sequence, then do āvāhana while holding flowers in añjali; inwardly, this aligns with concentrated remembrance of Śiva (often supported by japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) as you invite His presence into the worship.