Shloka 5

ब्राह्मणीमरणवर्णनम् (Account of the Brahmin Woman’s Death) — within Nandikeśvara-māhātmya

Devanagari script

तथापि च प्रवक्ष्यामि यथान्यानि मुनीश्वराः । प्रधानशिवलिंगानि भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदानि च

Transliteration

tathāpi ca pravakṣyāmi yathānyāni munīśvarāḥ | pradhānaśivaliṃgāni bhuktimuktipradāni ca

Translation

Dennoch, o Herren unter den Weisen, will ich nun der rechten Reihenfolge nach die vornehmsten Śiva-Liṅgas schildern, die sowohl bhukti (weltlichen Genuss) als auch mukti (Befreiung) verleihen.

Word by Word

• tathā-api: nevertheless
• tathā-api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय) + api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb + particle: 'even so / nevertheless'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• pravakṣyāmi: I shall explain
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• yathā: as / according to
• yathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb/conjunction (यथार्थे) meaning 'as/according to'

• anyāni: other (ones)
• anyāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); used with implied 'liṅgāni' or as object complement

• muni-īśvarāḥ: the sage-lords
• muni-īśvarāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); 'lords among sages'

• pradhāna-śiva-liṅgāni: the principal Śiva-liṅgas
• pradhāna-śiva-liṅgāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); object of pravakṣyāmi

• bhukti-mukti-pradāni: granting enjoyment and liberation
• bhukti-mukti-pradāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhukti (प्रातिपदिक) + mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying liṅgāni: 'granting enjoyment and liberation'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Programmatic transition: despite innumerability of liṅgas, Sūta will enumerate the ‘pradhāna’ liṅgas that grant both bhukti and mukti—typical purāṇic move from general kṣetra-praise to curated sacred list.

Significance: Frames liṅga-upāsanā as twofold fruit: bhukti (prosperity/auspicious enjoyment) and mukti (release). In Śaiva Siddhānta, mukti ultimately depends on Śiva’s anugraha; bhukti is a secondary fruit that can support dharma and devotion.

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Sages (Munis)

FAQs

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

The verse frames the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s teaching that devotion to the foremost Śiva-liṅgas is not merely for worldly boons but is also a direct means toward mokṣa, aligning prosperity with liberation under Śiva’s grace.

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

It presents the liṅga as Saguna Śiva’s accessible form for worship—an embodied focus through which devotees can approach the transcendent (Nirguṇa) reality of Śiva, ultimately receiving both bhukti and mukti.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It implies disciplined liṅga-upāsanā: regular abhiṣeka, mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and pilgrimage/adoration of principal liṅga-kṣetras with devotion aimed at liberation.