Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 40

सतीचरिते पितृगृहे आशीर्वाद-वचनम् तथा यौवनारम्भः — Satī at her father’s house: blessings and the onset of youth

Devanagari script

अविद्धदृक् परः साक्षी सर्वात्मा ऽनेकरूपधृक् । आत्मभूतः परब्रह्म तपंतं शरणं गताः

Transliteration

aviddhadṛk paraḥ sākṣī sarvātmā 'nekarūpadhṛk | ātmabhūtaḥ parabrahma tapaṃtaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ

Translation

祂是无翳之见者，至上的见证者——一切众生的内在自我，示现无量形相。祂是灵魂之精髓，是至上梵（Parabrahman）。因此他们归依于祂——恒常安住于严净苦行（tapas）之主。

Word by Word

• aviddha-dṛk: of unobstructed vision
• aviddha-dṛk: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + viddha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + dṛś (धातु) → dṛk (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास (possessive; 'whose sight is not pierced/obscured'), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• paraḥ: supreme
• paraḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (adjective), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• sākṣī: witness
• sākṣī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sākṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• sarva-ātmā: the Self of all
• sarva-ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (determinative; सर्वेषाम् आत्मा), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• aneka-rūpa-dhṛk: bearing many forms
• aneka-rūpa-dhṛk: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhṛ (धातु) → dhṛk (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास (possessive; 'who bears many forms'), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ātma-bhūtaḥ: being the very Self
• ātma-bhūtaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदik) + bhūta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (determinative; आत्मस्वरूपः/आत्मतया भूतः), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• para-brahma: Supreme Brahman
• para-brahma: Sambodhana/Alambya (आलम्ब्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (descriptive; परं ब्रह्म), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• tapantam: (him) who shines / performs austerity
• tapantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• śaraṇam: as refuge
• śaraṇam: Gati-karman (गतिः/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); गत्यर्थक-क्रियायोगे (with verb of going)

• gatāḥ: having gone / having taken (refuge)
• gatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya in the Satīkhaṇḍa context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Frames Śiva as sākṣī and sarvātmā—key for pāśa (āṇava/māyīya) loosening through inner witnessing; refuge (śaraṇa) is the doorway to anugraha.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: aviddhadṛk paraḥ sākṣī sarvātmā 'nekarūpadhṛk | ātmabhūtaḥ parabrahma tapaṃtaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse presents Śiva as Parabrahman and the inner Witness (sākṣī) of all beings; liberation is shown as śaraṇāgati—taking refuge in Him as the indwelling Self (sarvātmā), beyond limitation yet manifesting in many forms.

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

By calling Him both Parabrahman (transcendent) and ‘bearer of many forms’ (immanent), the verse supports worship through accessible Saguna symbols like the Śiva-liṅga while affirming that the worshipped Lord is the formless Supreme Reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is sākṣī-bhāva meditation—contemplating Śiva as the inner witness—combined with devotional refuge (śaraṇāgati); this can be paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) as a Shaiva Siddhanta-aligned discipline.