Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 70

नारदस्य विष्णूपदेशवर्णनम् — Nārada and Viṣṇu: Instruction after Delusion

Devanagari script

पश्यन्माहात्म्यमतुलं शंकरस्य परात्मनः । गच्छानन्दवनं पश्चाच्छंभुप्रियतमं मुने

Transliteration

paśyanmāhātmyamatulaṃ śaṃkarasya parātmanaḥ | gacchānandavanaṃ paścācchaṃbhupriyatamaṃ mune

Translation

Nachdem du die unvergleichliche Größe Śaṅkaras — des höchsten Selbst — geschaut hast, gehe danach, o Weiser, nach Ānandavana, in den Śambhu über alles geliebten Wald.

Word by Word

• paśyan: seeing
• paśyan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (पश् धातु)
• Form: Vartamāna-kṛdanta (present active participle/शतृ), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana; ‘seeing’

• māhātmyam: greatness, glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular)

• atulaṃ: incomparable
• atulaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; agrees with māhātmyam

• śaṃkarasya: of Śaṅkara
• śaṃkarasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana

• para-ātmanaḥ: of the Supreme Self
• para-ātmanaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘paraḥ ātmā’

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्; imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• ānanda-vanam: to the forest of bliss (Ānandavana)
• ānanda-vanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda (प्रातिपदिक) + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘ānandasya vanam’

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), Kālādvaya-avyaya (temporal adverb)

• śaṃbhu-priyatamam: most dear to Śambhu
• śaṃbhu-priyatamam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक) + priyatama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘śaṃbhoḥ priyatamam’

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Sambodhana (vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: Ānandavana (Kāśī) is extolled as Śambhu’s most beloved kṣetra where Śiva abides as Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha; the kṣetra grants exceptional merit and is famed for bestowing liberation through Śiva’s special grace to those who behold his māhātmya and dwell/pilgrim there.

Significance: Darśana of Viśvanātha and residence/pilgrimage in Ānandavana is traditionally held to confer kṣetra-anugraha—accelerating purification and orienting the soul toward mokṣa.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: dipa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Shankara, Shambhu)
• Anandavana (Kashi)

FAQs

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

It directs the seeker, after recognizing Śiva’s incomparable supremacy (Parātman), toward Ānandavana (Kāśī), celebrated as Śiva’s dearest abode and a powerful setting for grace, purification, and liberation-oriented devotion.

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

By pointing to Śambhu’s most beloved sacred place, it supports Saguna devotion through tīrtha and shrine-centered worship—commonly expressed as Liṅga-darśana and service—while grounding it in the higher truth of Śiva as Parātman.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Undertake pilgrimage and darśana in Ānandavana with Shaiva bhakti—mentally remembering Śiva as Parātman while performing customary worship such as mantra-japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and Liṅga-pūjā.