ŚLOKA 01 / 100

Power in union

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SOUNDARYA LAHARI

ŚLOKA 01

śivaḥ śaktyā yukto

śivaḥ śaktyā yukto yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṃ
na cedevaṃ devo na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditumapi ;
atastvāmārādhyāṃ hariharaviriñcādibhirapi
praṇantuṃ stotuṃ vā kathamakṛtapuṇyaḥ prabhavati . 1 .

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Śloka 1 · The opening verse

The Power of the Mother

Still Śiva, the revelation of Devī, their inseparable union, and the reverence of Hari, Hara and Viriñci—ending in the devotee’s bow.

116 SECONDS · FULL HD · 6 CHAPTERS

YOUR PLACE IN THE STORY

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Continue to A Speck of Infinity · Śloka 2 →Explore the phrase meanings →

The verse and the visual interpretation

Śloka 1 praises Śakti as indispensable to Śiva’s activity, even the slightest movement. It calls Her worthy of worship by Hari, Hara and Viriñci, then asks how one without accumulated merit could bow or praise Her.

The standing forms, their union, shared radiance and cosmic pulse are artistic metaphors. The opening dramatizes the second line before returning to the first line of the verse. They do not depict a literal time before Śakti existed, or suggest that She arrives from outside Śiva. The worshippers and the small human devotee make the verse’s turn toward reverence and humility visible.

Owner-supplied devotional artwork, animated union and light, and an original synthesized score. No spoken narration. Read the verse and meaning or the production and source notes.

Read all six scenes

Still Śiva
na cedevaṃ devo na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditum api
Without Śakti, Śiva cannot even stir.

Devī revealed
śivaḥ śaktyā yuktaḥ
Śakti — inseparable from Śiva.

Becoming one
śivaḥ śaktyā yuktaḥ
Their forms unite: one inseparable presence.

The first pulse
yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavitum
United with Śakti, Śiva has the power to manifest.

Hari · Hara · Viriñci
atas tvām ārādhyāṃ hari-hara-viriñcādibhir api
Even Hari, Hara and Viriñci worship You.

The devotee’s bow
praṇantuṃ stotuṃ vā katham akṛtapuṇyaḥ prabhavati
Without accumulated merit, how could I bow to You or sing Your praise?

About these study notes: English meanings and explanations were generated with AI assistance and have not been independently reviewed by a Sanskrit scholar. Sanskrit text follows the cited source editions.

02 / PHRASE STUDY · PADĀRTHA

A phrase at a time.

8 selected phrases

Follow the words into meaning. Select a phrase to locate it in the verse above. Selected short phrases; read them together for the full sentence.

Phrases follow your chosen script. Meanings are concise editorial study aids.

Śloka 1: Overview
Selected phrase	Meaning in context
	Śiva is capable of creative action when united with Śakti.
	Without that union, the verse says, the god cannot even stir.
	You are therefore worthy of worship even by Hari, Hara, Brahmā, and the other gods.
	How could someone without accumulated merit bow to you or offer praise?

Selected phrases and English meanings for Śloka 1
Selected phrase	Meaning in context
	Śiva, joined with Śakti A closer look yukto is the joined form of yuktaḥ before yadi.
	when he is able to create A closer look Read this condition together with the opening phrase.
	if it is not so A closer look Word separation: na cet evam.
	the god cannot even stir A closer look Word separation: spanditum api.
	therefore, you who deserve worship A closer look Word separation: ataḥ tvām ārādhyām.
	even by Hari, Hara, Brahmā and others A closer look Hari, Hara, and Viriñci name Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Brahmā.
	to bow down or offer praise A closer look The two infinitives express acts of reverence.
	how can one without prior merit be capable? A closer look Word separation: katham akṛtapuṇyaḥ prabhavati.

Selected words and compound parts are shown in IAST; this is a focused vocabulary study, not an exhaustive grammatical analysis. The source phrase below each follows your selected script. Locate highlights that unchanged source phrase; reconstructed word forms are not substituted into the verse.

Śloka 1: Words
Word / source phrase	Meaning in context
	Śiva The subject of the opening clause.
	with Śakti Instrumental singular: the power with which Śiva is united.
	joined, united Printed yukto before yadi through sandhi.
	if, when Introduces the condition of union with Śakti.
	becomes, is The finite verb in the conditional statement.
	capable Read with the following infinitive.
	to bring forth, to act powerfully An infinitive; creation is the contextual reading here.
	not Negates the condition.
	if Printed ced before evam through sandhi.
	so, in this way Refers back to union with Śakti.
	the god Śiva; printed devo before na.
	indeed not An emphatic negative expression.
	able, competent Read with spanditum.
	to stir, to move An infinitive indicating even the slightest movement.
	even Emphasises the smallness of the act being denied.
	therefore Printed atas before tvām.
	you The Goddess, directly addressed as the object of praise.
	worthy of worship Describes tvām, the Goddess.
	Hari, Hara, and Viriñci Compound names for Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Brahmā.
	by those and others The ending carries the instrumental plural relation for the compound.
	even Even these gods worship her.
	to bow down An infinitive expressing reverence.
	to praise An infinitive expressing spoken praise.
	or Joins the two acts of reverence.
	how? Introduces the closing question.
	one who has not accumulated merit a — not; kṛta — done or acquired; puṇya — merit. The compound describes the person.
	is capable Here, being able to bow or praise, rather than the creative activity of the opening.

About these phrase meanings

Selected phrases and editorial word analysis, not a complete scholarly translation. The English explanations are editorial and have not been reviewed by a Sanskrit scholar. Consult a teacher or full commentary for grammatical and interpretive detail.

The earlier phrase-level pilot was cross-checked with the word meanings in Dr. Rama Venkatraman & Dr. Uma Krishnaswamy’s Tamil and English translation, verse 1 ↗. The phrase text is drawn directly from the selected V4 edition; Telugu-Vigananam keeps its printed spellings and hyphens; the English follows the base Sanskrit and does not separately translate variant readings.

03 / SIMPLE MEANING

A first understanding.

Śiva can act when united with Śakti; without Her he cannot even stir. The poet asks how one without accumulated merit could praise Her, whom the gods themselves worship.

CONDENSED EDITORIAL PARAPHRASE

04 / DETAILED MEANING

How the verse unfolds.

The opening is a conditional statement: Śiva’s capacity to act is expressed through union with Śakti. The next line sharpens the claim by moving from the grandeur of creation to the smallest motion. Even stirring is presented as dependent on that union. The verse does not narrate a time when Śakti arrives from somewhere outside Śiva.

The word ataḥ, “therefore,” turns this assertion into an address to the Goddess. Hari, Hara, and Viriñci name Viṣṇu, Śiva, and Brahmā. Their worship establishes the scale of her praise before the speaker considers his own capacity to approach her.

The final question makes bowing and praising themselves occasions for humility. “One without accumulated merit” belongs to the voice of the devotee; this learning companion does not use it as a rule excluding anyone from reading. The progression is from divine activity, to divine worship, to the speaker’s own act of praise.

EDITORIAL EXPLANATION · NOT A TRADITIONAL COMMENTARY

05 / DEEPER CONTEMPLATION

A question to carry.

Recall something you were able to do today. What relationships, capacities, and support made it possible? Read the opening again with that awareness of dependence. What changes in the quality of your gratitude? This is a reflective invitation, not an equation of ordinary activity with the verse’s theology.

A REFLECTIVE INVITATION

06 / THEMES & TATTVA