Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 44

शब्दब्रह्मतनुवर्णनम् — Description of the Form of Śabda-Brahman

Devanagari script

चतुर्विंशतिवर्णाढ्यं चतुष्कालमनुत्तमम् । अथ पंचसितं मंत्रं कलाष्टक समायुतम्

Transliteration

caturviṃśativarṇāḍhyaṃ catuṣkālamanuttamam | atha paṃcasitaṃ maṃtraṃ kalāṣṭaka samāyutam

Translation

此真言具足二十四音节，无与伦比，行用于四个神圣时分。其后又有由五百（音/字）组成之真言，并与八种迦罗（kalā，神圣分力）相应相合。

Word by Word

• catur-viṃśati-varṇa-āḍhyam: endowed with twenty-four letters
• catur-viṃśati-varṇa-āḍhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mantra)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); Dvigu: caturviṃśati-varṇaiḥ āḍhyam (rich with 24 syllables/letters)

• catuḥ-kālam: having four times/periods
• catuḥ-kālam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mantra)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catuḥ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); Dvigu: having four times/periods

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mantra)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); superlative sense

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha-nipāta (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (discourse particle), sense: 'then/now'

• pañca-sitam: five hundred (in count)
• pañca-sitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mantra)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); Dvigu: pañca-śata (five hundred) (orthography: sitam for śatam in some recensions)

• mantram: mantra
• mantram: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• kalā-aṣṭaka-samāyutam: joined with eight kalās
• kalā-aṣṭaka-samāyutam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mantra)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭaka (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyuta (कृदन्त; sam-ā-√yuj धातु)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā (Accusative, 2nd), Ekavacana (Singular); Tatpuruṣa: kalānām aṣṭakena samāyutam (joined with an octad of kalās)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse classifies Shiva-mantras by their inner structure (syllable-count and kalā-connection), indicating that mantra is not mere sound but a śakti-bearing form of Śiva’s grace that ripens the soul toward liberation.

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

By describing mantras as endowed with kalās, the text points to Saguna Śiva worship where the Linga is approached through mantra-japa—sound (mantra) and form (Liṅga) functioning together as accessible supports for devotion and realization.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests disciplined mantra-japa performed in the four sacred daily periods (such as dawn, midday, dusk, and night), with attention to the mantra’s prescribed form—supporting Shaiva practice alongside observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa when taught in context.