Shloka 53

देवस्तुतिः (Devastuti) — Hymn/Praise of the Devas

Devanagari script

ऐरावतो गजेन्द्राणां सिद्धानां कपिलो मतः । अनंतस्त्वं हि नागानां पितॄणामर्यमा भवान्

Transliteration

airāvato gajendrāṇāṃ siddhānāṃ kapilo mataḥ | anaṃtastvaṃ hi nāgānāṃ pitṝṇāmaryamā bhavān

Translation

في جملةِ أسيادِ الفيلةِ تُعَدُّ أنتَ إيرافَتَ (Airāvata)، وفي جملةِ السِّدْهَات تُعْرَفُ كَكَبِيلَ (Kapila). حقًّا، في جملةِ النّاغا أنتَ أَنَنْتَ (Ananta)، وفي جملةِ الآباءِ الأسلافِ (Pitṛ) أنتَ أَرْيَمَا (Aryamā).

Word by Word

• airāvataḥ: Airāvata (Indra’s elephant)
• airāvataḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: airāvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• gaja-indrāṇām: of the lords of elephants
• gaja-indrāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaja (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural); tatpuruṣa ‘gajānām indraḥ’ → ‘lord among elephants’

• siddhānām: of the Siddhas
• siddhānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• kapilaḥ: Kapila
• kapilaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• mataḥ: is considered
• mataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicative verbal idea)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past passive participle (क्त/क्तः), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; sense: ‘is considered/held to be’

• anantaḥ: Ananta (Śeṣa)
• anantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Sarvanāma (Pronoun), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle), emphasis/indeed

• nāgānām: of the serpents
• nāgānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti, Bahuvacana

• pitṝṇām: of the ancestors (Pitṛs)
• pitṝṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti, Bahuvacana; irregular stem pitṛ

• aryamā: Aryaman
• aryamā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aryaman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; Vedic/Deity name form ‘aryamā’

• bhavān: you (honorific)
• bhavān: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Honorific pronoun, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana discourse to the sages at Naimisharanya, conveying the praise addressed to the supreme Lord)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: By mapping Śiva onto guardians of directions/species (elephants, nāgas, pitṛs), the verse supports a ‘protector of all realms’ understanding often invoked for safety and ancestral peace during pilgrimage.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Airavata
• Kapila
• Ananta (Shesha)
• Aryama
• Siddhas
• Nagas
• Pitrs

FAQs

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

It teaches that the Supreme Lord is the inner ruler and highest excellence in every order of beings—divine, perfected, serpentine, and ancestral—so devotion should be directed to the One who manifests as the best in all categories.

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

By listing exalted representatives (Airāvata, Kapila, Ananta, Aryamā), the verse supports Saguna contemplation: the devotee recognizes Shiva’s supremacy in all forms, while the Liṅga worship gathers these many manifestations into one focused symbol of Pati (the Lord).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice one-pointed stuti and japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while mentally offering all “best” qualities and powers in the cosmos back to Shiva, the single source and goal.