Shloka 1

Svagati-varṇana

Description of the Supreme State / One’s True Attainment

Devanagari script

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे पंचम्यामुमासंहितायां कृष्णोपमन्युसंवादे स्वगतिवर्णनं नाम प्रथमोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe paṃcamyāmumāsaṃhitāyāṃ kṛṣṇopamanyusaṃvāde svagativarṇanaṃ nāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

如是，在《圣湿婆大往世书》中——第五部《乌玛集》之内——于克里希纳与乌帕曼纽的对话中，此为第一章，名为“Svagati-varṇana”，即“自我灵性境界之描述”。

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), quotation/closure particle (इति-प्रयोग)

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (उपसर्गवत्/प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (श्रीशिवस्य महापुराणम्)

• paṃcamyām: in the fifth (book/section)
• paṃcamyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃcamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ordinal adjective used substantively (in the fifth [section])

• umā-saṃhitāyām: in the Umā-saṃhitā
• umā-saṃhitāyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उमायाः संहिता)

• kṛṣṇa-upamanyu-saṃvāde: in the dialogue of Kṛṣṇa and Upamanyu
• kṛṣṇa-upamanyu-saṃvāde: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + upamanyu (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃvāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कृष्णोपमन्योः संवादः)

• sva-gati-varṇanam: the description of (his) own course/attainment
• sva-gati-varṇanam: Karta (कर्ता/heading)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (स्वगतिः तस्य वर्णनम्)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/label marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (designation marker)

• prathamaḥ: first
• prathamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ordinal adjective qualifying अध्यायः

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/heading)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami (concluding/colophon-style narration within the Purāṇic recitation tradition)

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Colophon (adhyāya-saṃjñā): identifies the textual setting—Umāsaṃhitā, chapter title, and the Kṛṣṇa–Upamanyu dialogue—rather than narrating a tīrtha origin.

Significance: Marks the transition into the Umāsaṃhitā’s teaching stream; in recitation traditions, such colophons authenticate lineage and structure, supporting faithful śravaṇa.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Umā

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Uma (Parvati)
• Krishna
• Upamanyu

FAQs

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

This is a colophon identifying the start of Umāsaṃhitā Adhyāya 1, signaling a teaching-focused section where liberation-oriented understanding (gati) is clarified through dialogue—consistent with Shaiva Siddhanta emphasis on Pati (Śiva) as the liberator.

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

While this line is primarily a chapter marker, it frames the Umāsaṃhitā as a context where devotion and knowledge are integrated—typically presenting Saguna Śiva worship (such as Linga devotion) as a means that matures the soul toward Śiva’s grace and final freedom.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

No specific rite is stated in this colophon; however, the Umāsaṃhitā context commonly supports Shaiva sādhanā—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), reverence to the Linga, and purity disciplines like bhasma and rudrākṣa when taught in surrounding passages.