Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 36

आवरणपूजाविधानम् / The Procedure of Āvaraṇa (Enclosure) Worship

Devanagari script

अनेकरत्नसंच्छन्नं हेमद्वारकपाटकम् । तप्तजांबूनदमयं रत्नस्तम्भशतावृतम्

Transliteration

anekaratnasaṃcchannaṃ hemadvārakapāṭakam | taptajāṃbūnadamayaṃ ratnastambhaśatāvṛtam

Translation

它镶嵌着各种宝石，门板由黄金制成；由经过熔炼的瞻部捺陀金（Jambunada gold）打造，并由数百根镶嵌宝石的柱子环绕。

Word by Word

• aneka-ratna-saṃcchannam: covered with many jewels
• aneka-ratna-saṃcchannam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aneka (प्रातिपदिक) + ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃcchanna (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

• hema-dvāra-kapāṭakam: a golden door-panel/door-leaf
• hema-dvāra-kapāṭakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hema (प्रातिपदिक) + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक) + kapāṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

• tapta-jāmbūnada-mayam: made of heated/refined Jāmbūnada gold
• tapta-jāmbūnada-mayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + jāmbūnada (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

• ratna-stambha-śata-āvṛtam: surrounded by a hundred jewel-pillars
• ratna-stambha-śata-āvṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + stambha (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: The jewel-and-gold splendor signifies aiśvarya that can both attract devotion and ‘veil’ (tirodhāna) by sensory magnificence—yet, when offered to Mahādeva, it becomes a means to transcend attachment through consecration.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The jeweled, golden architecture symbolizes the splendor of Shiva’s sacred sphere—an outer representation of inner purity and divine auspiciousness (śivam) that devotion reveals.

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

By describing a magnificent divine setting, the text supports Saguna-upāsanā: devotees approach Shiva through tangible sanctity—temple, icon, and Linga—while remembering that such grandeur ultimately points to Shiva’s transcendent reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests śuddhi (purification) and reverent temple-oriented worship: mentally visualize a pure, radiant abode while offering mantra-japa (especially the Panchakshara) and simple, sattvic offerings with steadiness of mind.