Shloka 10

नन्दिकेश्वरोत्पत्तिः — Nandikesvara’s Origin, Shiva’s Boons, and the Rise of Sacred Rivers

Devanagari script

न दृष्टमेवमाश्चर्यम् आयुर्वर्षादतः परम् इत्युक्तवति विप्रेन्द्रः शिलादः पुत्रवत्सलः

Transliteration

na dṛṣṭamevamāścaryam āyurvarṣādataḥ param ityuktavati viprendraḥ śilādaḥ putravatsalaḥ

Translation

„Nie habe ich ein solches Wunder gesehen—dass das Leben nur auf eine bestimmte Zahl von Jahren begrenzt ist und nicht darüber hinaus!“ Als dies ausgesprochen wurde, geriet der beste der Brahmanen, Śilāda, zärtlich seinem Sohn zugetan, in Erschütterung aus Kummer und Nachsinnen.

Word by Word

• na: not

• dṛṣṭam: seen/experienced

• evam: thus/in this manner

• āścaryam: wonder/marvel

• āyuḥ: lifespan

• varṣāt: from/limited by years

• ataḥ param: beyond this/no further

• iti: thus

• uktavati: when it was said/when she/they spoke

• vipra-indraḥ: chief among Brahmins

• śilādaḥ: Śilāda (the sage)

• putra-vatsalaḥ: affectionate toward his son/son-loving

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the episode of Śilāda within the Linga Purana’s Purva-Bhaga)

Characters & Entities

• Shilada

FAQs

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

It frames the human condition as bound by finite āyus (lifespan), setting up the need for Śiva’s anugraha (grace) accessed through Linga-upāsanā to loosen pasha (bondage) and move the pashu (soul) toward liberation under Pati (Śiva).

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

By highlighting the shock of mortality’s limit, the narrative implicitly points to Śiva-tattva as that which is not limited by time (kāla) or measure—Pati who can overrule karmic finitude through grace, a key Shaiva Siddhānta theme.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse itself is narrative, but it signals the turn toward Śaiva sādhanā—especially Linga-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented discipline—undertaken to transcend the bondage of time and death.