Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 2

अन्धक-प्रश्नः — Inquiry into Andhaka

Genealogy and Nature

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मन्यच्चरितं तस्य महेशस्य महात्मनः । मायामाश्रित्य सल्लीलां कुर्वतो भक्तमोददाम्

Transliteration

brahmanyaccaritaṃ tasya maheśasya mahātmanaḥ | māyāmāśritya sallīlāṃ kurvato bhaktamodadām

Translation

婆罗门啊，那位大魂的摩诃伊湿（Mahesha）之行迹，蒙梵天之福佑而神圣；他依凭神圣的摩耶（Māyā），示现吉祥的戏行（līlā），赐予信众欢喜。

Word by Word

• brahman: O Brahman (sage)
• brahman: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative)

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/relative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative)

• caritam: deed, conduct, story
• caritam: Karma (कर्म/object/topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √car)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• maheśasya: of Maheśa
• maheśasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled one
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• māyām: illusion, māyā
• māyām: Karma (कर्म/object of āśritya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• āśritya: having resorted to
• āśritya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śri (श्रि, धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having resorted to)

• sat-līlām: noble play, holy sport
• sat-līlām: Karma (कर्म/object, with kurvataḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (satī līlā = good/true play)

• kurvataḥ: of (him) doing
• kurvataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ, धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (of the one who is doing)

• bhakta-moda-dām: giving joy to devotees
• bhakta-moda-dām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/of līlām)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक) + moda (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (दा, धातु/प्रातिपदिक 'dā' as giver)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (bhaktānāṃ modaṃ dadāti = giving joy to devotees)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: No Jyotirliṅga linkage; the verse explicitly foregrounds Śiva’s resort to Māyā to enact līlā for devotees’ joy.

Significance: Frames Śiva’s acts as divinely pedagogical: līlā through Māyā becomes a means for devotees to mature toward grace.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It affirms that Shiva’s actions are inherently sacred and liberating: even when He manifests through Māyā, His līlā remains auspicious and becomes a direct cause of devotional joy, strengthening bhakti that leads toward grace (anugraha) and moksha.

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

By highlighting Shiva’s līlā through Māyā, the verse supports Saguna worship—approaching Shiva in manifest forms (including the Linga) where devotees can experience His compassionate presence and receive spiritual upliftment through devotion.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is līlā-smaraṇa (remembrance of Shiva’s deeds) with bhakti—such as daily japa of the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” while contemplating Mahesha’s auspicious acts as grace-bestowing, which deepens devotion and inner steadiness.