Shloka 46

Kālajñāna (Knowledge of Time) and Mṛtyu-cihna (Signs of Death): Śiva’s Instruction to Umā

Devanagari script

विंशद्दिनप्रवाहेण षण्मासं लक्षयेत्तदा । पंचविंशद्दिनमितं वहते वामनाडिका

Transliteration

viṃśaddinapravāheṇa ṣaṇmāsaṃ lakṣayettadā | paṃcaviṃśaddinamitaṃ vahate vāmanāḍikā

Translation

以二十日为度的流行，当应计为六个月。据说“婆摩那底迦”(vāma-nāḍikā，左脉之量)所承载之度，相当于二十五日。

Word by Word

• viṃśat-dina-pravāheṇa: by a flow/measure of twenty days
• viṃśat-dina-pravāheṇa: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṃśat (प्रातिपदिक) + dina (प्रातिपदिक) + pravāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (viṃśat-dina = विंशति-दिनानि, dina-pravāha = दिनप्रवाहः); Instrumental singular

• ṣaṇ-māsam: six months
• ṣaṇ-māsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṭ (प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (ṣaṇ-māsa = षण्मासः ‘six months’); Accusative singular

• lakṣayet: should indicate/mark
• lakṣayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lakṣ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative 3rd person singular (‘should indicate/mark’)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• pañca-viṃśat-dina-mitam: measured as twenty-five days
• pañca-viṃśat-dina-mitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + viṃśat (प्रातिपदिक) + dina (प्रातिपदिक) + mita (कृदन्त; √mā धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (pañcaviṃśat-dina = पञ्चविंशति-दिनानि; dina-mita = दिनमितम् ‘measured by days’); past participle ‘mita’ used adjectivally; Accusative singular

• vahate: carries/lasts
• vahate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vah (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Present indicative 3rd person singular

• vāma-nāḍikā: the left nāḍikā (water-clock unit/device)
• vāma-nāḍikā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāma (प्रातिपदिक) + nāḍikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (vāma-nāḍikā = वामा च सा नाडिका); Nominative singular

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It links sacred time-reckoning with the subtle flow of prāṇa through nāḍīs, implying that disciplined awareness of inner rhythms supports steadiness in sādhana and the Shaiva pursuit of liberation under Pati (Shiva).

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

By emphasizing regulated measures and inner order, it supports consistent observance of Shiva-worship—regular pūjā, vrata, and meditation—through which the devotee approaches Saguna Shiva and is led toward the higher realization of Shiva’s supreme nature.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to maintain regularity in japa and dhyāna (often with the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) alongside prāṇāyāma-based attentiveness to nāḍī flow, aligning practice with measured, disciplined time.