Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 66

दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship

Devanagari script

इति प्रोक्तं गुणनिधेर्यज्ञदत्तात्मजस्य हि । चरितं शिवसंतोषं शृण्वतां सर्वकामदम्

Transliteration

iti proktaṃ guṇanidheryajñadattātmajasya hi | caritaṃ śivasaṃtoṣaṃ śṛṇvatāṃ sarvakāmadam

Translation

So ist die heilige Begebenheit von Guṇanidhi, dem Sohn Yajñadattas, verkündet worden—eine Episode, die den Herrn Śiva erfreut. Wer sie in Hingabe vernimmt, dem wird sie zum Spender aller ersehnten Ziele.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākya-sambandha (वाक्यसम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-निर्देशक (quotative particle)

• proktam: said, spoken
• proktam: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate, implied ‘was said’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• guṇanidheḥ: of the treasure of virtues (Guṇanidhi)
• guṇanidheḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (guṇānām nidhiḥ)

• yajñadatta-ātmajasya: of the son of Yajñadatta
• yajñadatta-ātmajasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajñadatta (प्रातिपदिक, proper name) + ātmaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yajñadattasya ātmajaḥ)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Vākya-sambandha (वाक्यसम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• caritam: deed, story, conduct
• caritam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक; √car-आधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• śiva-saṃtoṣam: (bringing) Śiva’s satisfaction
• śiva-saṃtoṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of caritam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃtoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śivasya saṃtoṣaḥ)

• śṛṇvatām: of the listeners
• śṛṇvatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु) → śṛṇvat (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘of those who are listening’

• sarva-kāma-dam: granting all desires
• sarva-kāma-dam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of caritam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + da (√dā/√dam?; प्रातिपदिक ‘द’ as giver)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (sarvān kāmān dadāti iti)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Phala-śruti for the Guṇanidhi narrative: hearing (śravaṇa) of the episode that pleases Śiva grants desired aims—indicating kathā itself as a vehicle of grace.

Significance: Encourages śiva-kathā-śravaṇa in temples/maṭhas: listening is itself a sādhana that generates puṇya, bhakti, and auspicious outcomes (bhoga and, implicitly, śreyas).

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Guṇanidhi
• Yajñadatta

FAQs

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

The verse extols śravaṇa (devotional listening) of Shiva-centered sacred history as a direct means to please Pati (Śiva). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, such Shiva-kathā purifies the pashu (bound soul), loosens pasha (bondage) through grace, and supports both worldly well-being and liberation-oriented devotion.

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

By declaring the narrative “Śiva-saṃtoṣa,” it points to Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Śiva through name, form, and līlā. Hearing and reciting such accounts is treated as an act of upāsanā akin to linga-pūjā, because it fixes the mind on Śiva and invokes His anugraha (grace).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied practice is regular śravaṇa/pāṭha of Shiva Purana kathā with devotion, ideally alongside simple Shaiva aids like japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and a sattvic, attentive listening posture—making the mind steady in remembrance of Śiva.