Shloka 19

वंशानुवर्णनम् — सात्वतवंशः, स्यमन्तक-प्रसङ्गः, कृष्णावतारः, शिवप्रसादः (पाशुपतयोगः)

Devanagari script

श्वफल्कश् च महाराजो धर्मात्मा यत्र वर्तते नास्ति व्याधिभयं तत्र नावृष्टिभयमप्युत

Transliteration

śvaphalkaś ca mahārājo dharmātmā yatra vartate nāsti vyādhibhayaṃ tatra nāvṛṣṭibhayamapyuta

Translation

حيثما يقيم الملك العظيم شْفَفَلْكا (Śvaphalka)—الثابت في الدَّرْمَا—لا يكون هناك خوفٌ من المرض، ولا حتى خوفٌ من القحط. تلك هي القدرة الحامية للنظام القويم، المُسنَد ببهكتي (bhakti) إلى پَتِي (Pati)، شيفا (Śiva)، الذي يُرخِي قيود پاشا (pāśa) المتجلّية كمعاناةٍ جماعية.

Word by Word

• śvaphalkaḥ: Śvaphalka

• ca: and

• mahārājaḥ: great king

• dharmātmā: one whose very nature is dharma/righteousness

• yatra: where

• vartate: dwells/prevails

• na asti: there is not

• vyādhi-bhayam: fear of disease

• tatra: there

• na-avṛṣṭi-bhayam: fear of lack of rain/drought

• api: even/also

• uta: indeed/further

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Śvaphalka

FAQs

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

It links social well-being (freedom from disease and drought) to dharma upheld under Śiva’s lordship (Pati), implying that Linga-centered devotion and righteous governance sustain ṛta/dharmic order that protects the community.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as Pati—the supreme regulator whose anugraha supports cosmic balance; when dharma is embodied in leadership, the pāśa-like conditions of suffering (vyādhi, scarcity) subside.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is named; the takeaway is dharma-yukta living and kingship aligned with Shaiva devotion—an applied form of discipline that supports collective harmony, consistent with Pāśupata emphasis on conduct (ācāra) as a means to loosen pāśa.