Shloka 25

ब्रह्माण्डदान-प्रशंसा तथा ब्रह्माण्ड-प्रमाण-वर्णनम्

Praise of the Gift of the Cosmic Egg and Description of the Brahmāṇḍa’s Measure

Devanagari script

तेषु दानवदैतेया नागानां जातयस्तथा । निवसंति महानागा राक्षसा दैत्यसंभवाः

Transliteration

teṣu dānavadaiteyā nāgānāṃ jātayastathā | nivasaṃti mahānāgā rākṣasā daityasaṃbhavāḥ

Translation

Dort wohnen die Dānavas und die Daityas, ebenso die verschiedenen Geschlechter der Nāgas. Auch große Schlangen leben dort, wie auch die Rākṣasas, die aus den Daityas hervorgegangen sind.

Word by Word

• teṣu: in them/therein
• teṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Puṃliṅga/napuṃsakaliṅga (Masc/Neut), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative, 7th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• dānava-daiteyāḥ: Dānavas and Daityas
• dānava-daiteyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + daiteya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural); itaretara-dvandva (dānavāś ca daiteyāś ca)

• nāgānām: of the Nāgas
• nāgānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• jātayaḥ: classes/kinds
• jātayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya/evam-artha (adverb/particle: 'likewise')

• nivasanti: dwell/live
• nivasanti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-vas (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Bahuvacana (Plural), Parasmaipada

• mahā-nāgāḥ: great Nāgas
• mahā-nāgāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural); karmadhāraya ('great nāgas')

• rākṣasāḥ: Rākṣasas
• rākṣasāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• daitya-saṃbhavāḥ: born of Daityas
• daitya-saṃbhavāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural); viśeṣaṇa of rākṣasāḥ; tatpuruṣa: daityebhyaḥ saṃbhavāḥ ('born from daityas')

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Purana account to the sages, within the Umāsaṃhitā narrative flow)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Characters & Entities

• Danavas
• Daityas
• Nagas
• Rakshasas

FAQs

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

The verse situates fierce and instinct-driven beings (Daityas, Dānavas, Nāgas, Rākṣasas) within the ordered cosmos, implying that even tamasic forces exist under the governance of the Supreme (Pati). From a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, liberation is not achieved by fearing such beings but by transcending pasha (bondage) through Shiva-bhakti and right knowledge.

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

By describing many classes of beings occupying a realm, the text highlights the diversity of embodied existence (pashu). Linga-worship of Saguna Shiva is presented in the Purana as a universal refuge that purifies all states of being, harmonizing the cosmos and drawing the devotee beyond lower impulses toward Shiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

No specific rite is directly prescribed in this verse, but the practical takeaway in Shaiva practice is protective recollection of Shiva: japa of the Panchakshara ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and steady devotion, supported by traditional aids like vibhuti (Tripuṇḍra) and rudrāksha, to remain inwardly fearless and sattvic amid worldly disturbances.