Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 20

परस्य दुर्‍निर्णयः—षट्कुलीयमुनिविवादः तथा ब्रह्मदर्शनार्थं मेरुप्रयाणम् | The Dispute of the Six-Lineage Sages on the Supreme and Their Journey to Brahmā at Meru

Devanagari script

नमो ब्रह्माण्डदेहाय ब्रह्मांडोदरवर्तिने । तत्र संसिद्धकार्याय संसिद्धकरणाय च

Transliteration

namo brahmāṇḍadehāya brahmāṃḍodaravartine | tatra saṃsiddhakāryāya saṃsiddhakaraṇāya ca

Translation

顶礼于彼，其身即为梵卵（Brahmāṇḍa，宇宙之卵），安住于宇宙之胎中；顶礼于彼，于其中既是圆满成就之目的，亦是圆满成就之方便。

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation; homage
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), namaskāra-nipāta (नमस्कार-निपात), used with dative (चतुर्थी) to express salutation

• brahmāṇḍa-dehāya: to the one whose body is the cosmic egg
• brahmāṇḍa-dehāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Caturthī vibhakti (चतुर्थी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: brahmāṇḍaṃ dehaḥ yasya / brahmāṇḍa-dehaḥ (determinative)

• brahmāṇḍa-udara-vartine: to the one abiding in the womb/interior of the cosmos
• brahmāṇḍa-udara-vartine: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + udara (प्रातिपदिक) + vartin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Caturthī vibhakti (चतुर्थी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); vartin = 'dwelling/abiding'; tatpuruṣa: brahmāṇḍasya udare vartī (locative-relation within compound)

• tatra: there; in that (context/place)
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), deśa-avyaya (देश-अव्यय) adverb

• saṃsiddha-kāryāya: to the one whose tasks are perfectly accomplished
• saṃsiddha-kāryāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsiddha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Caturthī (चतुर्थी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: saṃsiddhaṃ kāryaṃ yasya / saṃsiddha-kāryaḥ

• saṃsiddha-karaṇāya: to the one whose means/instruments are perfectly effective
• saṃsiddha-karaṇāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/चतुर्थी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsiddha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + karaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Caturthī (चतुर्थी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: saṃsiddhaṃ karaṇaṃ yasya / saṃsiddha-karaṇaḥ

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), samuccaya-avyaya (समुच्चय) conjunction

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: नमो ब्रह्माण्डदेहाय ब्रह्मांडोदरवर्तिने । तत्र संसिद्धकार्याय संसिद्धकरणाय च

Type: stotra

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: brahmāṇḍa (cosmic egg) as the manifested universe

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It praises Shiva as both transcendent and immanent—His being pervades the entire brahmāṇḍa, and liberation is attained because He is simultaneously the goal (kārya) and the empowering means (karaṇa) for realization, aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta’s view of Pati as the ultimate refuge.

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

The Linga functions as the Saguna focus through which the devotee contemplates the Nirguna-imbued reality: Shiva is worshiped in a form, yet understood as the indwelling presence of the whole cosmos—‘brahmāṇḍadeha’ and ‘brahmāṇḍodaravartin’.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is inward meditation (antar-dhyāna) during japa of the Panchakshara—Om Namaḥ Śivāya—visualizing Shiva as the universe and as the inner witness; this can be paired with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as Shaiva supports to steadiness and devotion.