Shloka 20

उत्तरदिग्देशस्थ-शिवलीङ्गमाहात्म्य

Māhātmya of Northern-Region Śiva-liṅgas

Devanagari script

तदारान्मुक्तिनाथाख्यं शिवलिंगं महाद्भुतम् । दर्शनादर्चनात्तस्य भुक्तिर्मुक्तिश्च लभ्यते

Transliteration

tadārānmuktināthākhyaṃ śivaliṃgaṃ mahādbhutam | darśanādarcanāttasya bhuktirmuktiśca labhyate

Translation

Dann befindet sich dort das überaus wunderbare Śiva-Liṅga namens Muktinātha. Durch bloßes Schauen und Verehren erlangt man sowohl bhukti (weltlichen Genuss) als auch mukti (Befreiung).

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• arāt: from (that) spoke/part
• arāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘अर’ = spoke/part (ablative: from the spoke/part)

• muktinātha-ākhyam: named ‘Muktinātha’
• muktinātha-ākhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (धातु √ख्या/प्रातिपदिक ‘आख्य’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘-आख्य’ = named/called (नामधेयवाचक विशेषण)

• śiva-liṅgam: Śiva-liṅga
• śiva-liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• mahā-adbhutam: very wonderful
• mahā-adbhutam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + adbhuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of śivaliṅgam)

• darśanāt: from seeing
• darśanāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause: from/by seeing)

• arcanāt: from worship
• arcanāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause: from worship)

• tasya: of that (liṅga)
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• bhuktiḥ: enjoyment/worldly fruition
• bhuktiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• muktiḥ: liberation
• muktiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• labhyate: is obtained
• labhyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It proclaims the Liṅga as a direct locus of Śiva’s grace: through darśana and arcana, the devotee receives both dharmic well-being (bhukti) and final release from bondage (mukti), aligning with Śiva as Pati who frees the paśu from pāśa.

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

The verse emphasizes Saguna upāsanā through the Śiva-liṅga—approaching the formless (Nirguṇa) Śiva via a sacred emblem accessible to devotion, pilgrimage, and temple worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform Liṅga-darśana and simple arcana—offering water, bilva leaves, and reciting Śiva mantras such as the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—as a focused bhakti practice aimed at both inner purification and liberation.