Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 22

कैलासमार्गे शङ्करस्य परीक्षा — Śiva Tests the Approachers on the Kailāsa Path

Devanagari script

गुरुरुवाच । नमो देवाधिदेवाय महादेवाय चात्मने । महेश्वराय प्रभवे त्र्यम्बकाय कपर्दिने

Transliteration

gururuvāca | namo devādhidevāya mahādevāya cātmane | maheśvarāya prabhave tryambakāya kapardine

Translation

上师说道：“顶礼诸神之神——摩诃提婆，内在之真我；顶礼摩醯湿伐罗，至上主宰；顶礼普罗婆瓦，原初本源；顶礼三目者特里央婆迦；并顶礼卡帕尔丁，结发之主。”

Word by Word

• guruḥ: the Guru
• guruḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• uvāca: said/spoke
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect, लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: निपात (indeclinable interjection): used with Dative (चतुर्थी) meaning ‘salutation to’

• deva-adhi-devāya: to the God of gods
• deva-adhi-devāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + adhi (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘god over gods’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahā-devāya: to Mahādeva
• mahā-devāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: ‘great god’; Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): ‘and’

• ātmane: to the Self (inner soul)
• ātmane: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• maheśvarāya: to Maheśvara
• maheśvarāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: ‘great lord’; Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• prabhave: to the source/lord
• prabhave: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tryambakāya: to the three-eyed one
• tryambakāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + ambaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘three-eyed’; Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• kapardine: to the one with matted hair
• kapardine: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapardin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Guru

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Tryambakeśvara

Sthala Purana: Tryambaka epithet evokes the jyotirliṅga where Śiva is worshiped as ‘Tryambakeśvara’; tradition links it with Gautamī Gaṅgā (Godāvarī) and the restoration/purification motif around sacred waters.

Significance: Darśana of Tryambakeśvara is sought for removal of doṣas, ancestral rites (piṇḍa/śrāddha in the region), and stabilization of devotion through ‘Tryambaka’ remembrance.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: namo devādhidevāya mahādevāya cātmane | maheśvarāya prabhave tryambakāya kapardine

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This verse is a śiva-stuti that establishes Shiva as Devādhideva (supreme over the gods) and also as Ātman (the indwelling Self), aligning devotion (bhakti) with inner realization—seeing Pati (Shiva) as both transcendent Lord and immanent guide to moksha.

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

By invoking Shiva through sacred names—Mahādeva, Maheśvara, Tryambaka, Kapardin—the verse supports saguna-upāsanā (worship with attributes). In Shiva Purana practice, such epithets are commonly offered during liṅga-pūjā as nāma-japa and stotra, treating the Linga as the worshipful form of the Supreme Lord.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is nāma-japa: repeating these names as a mantra-like litany (especially alongside “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”). Meditatively, contemplate Shiva as the inner Self (ātmane) while offering salutations—an integration of devotion and inward focus.