Shiva Purana — Uma Samhita, Shloka 37

Pitṛbhakti and Śrāddha: The Classification of Pitṛs and the Superiority of Pitṛ-kārya

Devanagari script

पूर्वजादिषु यद्ब्रह्म श्रुतं गुरुकुलेषु वै । तथैव संस्थितज्ञानं तस्माज्ज्ञानं समभ्यसेत्

Transliteration

pūrvajādiṣu yadbrahma śrutaṃ gurukuleṣu vai | tathaiva saṃsthitajñānaṃ tasmājjñānaṃ samabhyaset

Translation

Darum soll man eifrig jenes befreiende Wissen um Brahman pflegen, das man von den Alten und im Gurukula, der Haus-Schule des Lehrers, vernommen hat. Denn Wissen wird nur auf dieselbe Weise fest gegründet: durch stetige Übung und innere Aneignung.

Word by Word

• पूर्वजादिषु: among ancestors and others
• पूर्वजादिषु: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrvaja (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (समाहार/आदि-समास: ‘पूर्वजाः आदयः’); पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• यत्: which, whatever
• यत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, sacred knowledge
• ब्रह्म: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• श्रुतम्: heard, learned
• श्रुतम्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) + śruta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे—‘heard/learnt’

• गुरुकुलेषु: in the teacher’s households (gurukulas)
• गुरुकुलेषु: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘गुरोः कुलम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed, surely
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/confirmatory particle)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात

• संस्थित-ज्ञानम्: well-established knowledge
• संस्थित-ज्ञानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ + sthā (धातु) + saṃsthita (कृदन्त) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (कर्मधारय/विशेषणपूर्वक: ‘संस्थितं ज्ञानम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: from that, therefore
• तस्मात्: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• समभ्यसेत्: one should practice/study
• समभ्यसेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + abhi + as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/Potential), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that liberating knowledge is not mere hearing (śravaṇa) but must be stabilized through disciplined practice (abhyāsa) under authentic lineage—leading the soul (paśu) toward release from bonds (pāśa) by the grace of the Lord (Pati).

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

In Shaiva practice, worship of the Linga and Saguna Shiva purifies and steadies the mind, making scriptural knowledge received from the guru become ‘established’ as lived realization rather than intellectual memory.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular abhyāsa: daily japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), meditation with steadiness, and consistent study/listening in the guru’s tradition—so knowledge matures into direct spiritual clarity.