Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 106
Devanagari script
स्थिरलिंगश्न यन्नित्यं तस्मात् स्थाणुरिति स्मृत: । ये ऊर्ध्वभागमें स्थित होकर देहधारियोंके प्राणोंका नाश करते हैं। सदा स्थिर रहते हैं और जिनका लिंग-विग्रह सदा स्थिर रहता है। इसलिये ये 'स्थाणु” कहलाते हैं
Transliteration
sthiraliṅgaś ca yan nityaṁ tasmāt sthāṇur iti smṛtaḥ |
Translation
বায়ু বললেন—যাঁর লিঙ্গচিহ্ন চিরকাল অচল ও স্থির থাকে, সেইজন্য তিনি ‘স্থাণু’ নামে স্মৃত—অর্থাৎ অটল, স্থিতপ্রজ্ঞ।
Word by Word
स्थिरलिङ्गःone whose linga/form is steady
स्थिरलिङ्गः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootस्थिरलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; स्थिर + लिङ्ग)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
यत्that which
यत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular
नित्यम्always, constantly
नित्यम्:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
तस्मात्therefore, from that (reason)
तस्मात्:
Apadana
TypePronoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular
स्थाणुःSthāṇu (the immovable/steady one; epithet of Śiva)
स्थाणुः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootस्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इतिthus
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
स्मृतःis called/remembered as
स्मृतः:
TypeVerb
Rootस्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive (past participle)
Speaker
वायुदेव उवाच
Characters & Entities
व
वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)स
स्थाणु (Sthāṇu, epithet of Śiva)ल
लिङ्ग (liṅga, emblem)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse explains an epithet of Śiva—‘Sthāṇu’—grounded in the idea of unwavering steadiness: the divine emblem (liṅga) is described as perpetually fixed, symbolizing immovability and constancy.
Vāyudeva is speaking and provides a traditional derivation/justification for the name ‘Sthāṇu,’ characterizing the deity through the quality of being ever-stable and unmoving.