Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 44

पार्वत्याः यात्रासंस्कारः तथा पातिव्रत्योपदेशः / Preparations for Girijā’s Auspicious Journey and the Teaching on Pātivratya

Devanagari script

व्रतोपवासनियमम्पतिमुल्लंघ्य या चरेत् । आयुष्यं हरते भर्तुर्मृता निरयमृच्छति

Transliteration

vratopavāsaniyamampatimullaṃghya yā caret | āyuṣyaṃ harate bharturmṛtā nirayamṛcchati

Translation

女子若逾越丈夫之权，自作主张修持誓戒（vrata）、斋戒与诸般宗教规行，据说会损减丈夫寿命；死后亦堕入地狱般的境界。故修行之律，当与婚姻之法（dharma）相和合。

Word by Word

• vrata-upavāsa-niyamam: vows, fasts, and observances
• vrata-upavāsa-niyamam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata + upavāsa + niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/Accusative), Ekavacana; itaretara-dvandva (व्रतं च उपवासः च नियमः च) as a collective object

• patim: husband
• patim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• ullaṅghya: having transgressed
• ullaṅghya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + laṅgh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), ‘having transgressed/overstepped’

• yā: she who
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• caret: should practice/act
• caret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ-lakāra (विधिलिङ्, Optative), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• āyuṣyam: lifespan
• āyuṣyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• harate: takes away
• harate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, Present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• bhartuḥ: of (her) husband
• bhartuḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/Genitive), Ekavacana

• mṛtā: dead (after dying)
• mṛtā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/अवस्था)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mṛ (धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya past participle (क्त), Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘having died/being dead’

• nirayam: hell
• nirayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• ṛcchati: goes to, reaches
• ṛcchati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ṛcch (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudra Saṃhitā account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It stresses that spiritual discipline (vrata, upavāsa, niyama) should be aligned with one’s dharma and responsibilities; practice done in defiance and discord is portrayed as spiritually harmful and karmically binding rather than liberating.

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

In the Purāṇic Shaiva framework, Saguna Shiva worship is not only ritual but also right conduct; the verse frames vrata as meaningful when performed with dharmic harmony, which supports devotion rather than turning worship into ego-driven transgression.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is to observe Shiva-related fasts and vows with proper niyama and consent within one’s life-situation—ideally paired with steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and sattvic restraint rather than impulsive or conflict-driven austerity.