Shloka 11

Adhyaya 44: Nandikesvara’s Manifestation and Abhisheka; The Rule of Namaskara in Shiva-Nama

Devanagari script

किं सागराञ्शोषयामो यमं वा सह किङ्करैः हन्मो मृत्युसुतां मृत्युं पशुवद्धन्म पद्मजम्

Transliteration

kiṃ sāgarāñśoṣayāmo yamaṃ vā saha kiṅkaraiḥ hanmo mṛtyusutāṃ mṛtyuṃ paśuvaddhanma padmajam

Translation

«ماذا نصنع—أَنُجَفِّفُ البحار؟ أم نضرب يَما مع خَدَمِه؟ أَنقتل مِرتْيُو، بل حتى ذرّية مِرتْيُو؟ نعم، ولنضرب بادْمَجا (براهما) أيضًا كأنه بهيمة.»

Word by Word

• किम् (kim): what?

• सागरान् (sāgarān): the oceans

• शोषयामः (śoṣayāmaḥ): shall we dry up/exhaust

• यमम् (yamam): Yama (lord of death/justice)

• वा (vā): or

• सह (saha): together with

• किङ्करैः (kiṅkaraiḥ): with servants/attendants

• हन्मः (hanmaḥ): we shall slay

• मृत्युसुताम् (mṛtyu-sutām): the offspring/daughter of Mṛtyu (Death)

• मृत्युम् (mṛtyum): Death (personified)

• पशुवत् (paśuvat): like an animal/beast

• हन्म (hanma): let us slay

• पद्मजम् (padmajam): the Lotus-born (Brahmā).

Speaker

Devas (speaking among themselves within Suta’s narration)

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Mṛtyu
• Brahmā (Padmaja)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It dramatizes the limits of worldly power: even gods threaten Yama and Mṛtyu, yet true conquest of death is not by violence but by taking refuge in Pati—Śiva—whose Linga is the sign of the Deathless (amṛta-tattva).

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By implication, it contrasts finite authorities (Yama, Mṛtyu, even Brahmā) with the need for a transcendent Lord. In Śaiva Siddhānta terms, Pati alone is independent; all others are bound within cosmic functions and cannot grant final mokṣa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is Mṛtyu-bhaya-nivṛtti through Śiva-upāsanā: Linga-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented discipline (detachment from fear, surrender to Pati) rather than reliance on coercive power over death.