Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 33

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

Devanagari script

त्वद्ध्यानबलतस्सूर्यस्तपते विश्वभावन । अमृतं च्यवते लोके शशी वाति समरिणः

Transliteration

tvaddhyānabalatassūryastapate viśvabhāvana | amṛtaṃ cyavate loke śaśī vāti samariṇaḥ

Translation

噢，宇宙的养育者（Viśvabhāvana），凭借对汝的观想之力，太阳得以炽热发光；月亮令甘露（amṛta）流注世间；清风亦得以吹拂——万事万物皆因汝内在的主宰而运行与活动。

Word by Word

• tvat-dhyāna-bala-taḥ: due to the power of meditation on you
• tvat-dhyāna-bala-taḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tvat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तस् प्रत्यय; avyaya)
• Form: Hetu/ablative-adverbial formation with -tas (तस्); tatpuruṣa within: tvataḥ dhyāna-balam (strength of meditation on you)

• sūryaḥ: the sun
• sūryaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• tapate: shines/heats
• tapate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, Prathamapuruṣa, Ekavacana; ātmanepada

• viśva-bhāvana: O sustainer of the universe
• viśva-bhāvana: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana vibhakti, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: viśvasya bhāvanaḥ (nourisher/creator of the universe)

• amṛtam: nectar/ambrosia
• amṛtam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• cyavate: drips/falls down
• cyavate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cyu (च्यु धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, Prathamapuruṣa, Ekavacana; ātmanepada

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti, Ekavacana

• śaśī: the moon
• śaśī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• vāti: blows
• vāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vā (वा धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, Prathamapuruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• samariṇaḥ: the wind
• samariṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samīraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; poetic/variant form for samīraṇaḥ (wind)

Speaker

A devotee/praise-speaker addressing Lord Shiva (as Viśvabhāvana) within Sūta’s narration in the Rudrasaṃhitā (Yuddhakhaṇḍa).

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Meditation on Śiva as Viśvabhāvana (world-nourisher) is held to stabilize prāṇa and mind, aligning the devotee with cosmic order (ṛta) under Śiva’s lordship.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: dipa

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Devatā-śakti operations (sun heat, moon nectar, wind motion) are traced to Śiva as the inner sovereign empowering their functions.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Surya
• Chandra
• Vayu

FAQs

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

It declares Shiva as Pati—the inner Lord whose presence sustains cosmic functions; meditation on Him aligns the mind with that supreme power, revealing that all natural forces operate through His grace.

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

The verse supports Saguna upāsanā: by meditating on Shiva (often through the Linga as His accessible form), the devotee contemplates the same Supreme who governs the sun, moon, and wind—linking visible symbol (Linga) to universal sovereignty.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Focused dhyāna on Shiva—ideally with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) before the Linga—emphasizing steady contemplation of Shiva as the indwelling power behind all life-breath (vāyu) and luminosity (sūrya, śaśī).