Shloka 39

देवादिसृष्टिकथनम् (वसिष्ठशोकः, पराशरजन्म, एकलिङ्गपूजा, रुद्रदर्शनम्)

Devanagari script

पिता माता च पुत्राश्च पौत्राः श्वशुर एव च एते न बान्धवाः स्त्रीणां भर्ता बन्धुः परा गतिः

Transliteration

pitā mātā ca putrāśca pautrāḥ śvaśura eva ca ete na bāndhavāḥ strīṇāṃ bhartā bandhuḥ parā gatiḥ

Translation

For a woman, father, mother, sons, grandsons, and even the father-in-law are not held to be her final refuge; her husband alone is declared her true kinsman and her supreme course of life. (In Shaiva understanding, this points to steadiness in one’s ordained bond, while the highest refuge remains Pati—Śiva—beyond all worldly ties.)

Word by Word

• पिता (pitā): father

• माता (mātā): mother

• च (ca): and

• पुत्राः (putrāḥ): sons

• पौत्राः (pautrāḥ): grandsons

• श्वशुरः (śvaśuraḥ): father-in-law

• एव (eva): indeed/only

• एते (ete): these

• न (na): not

• बान्धवाः (bāndhavāḥ): relatives/kinsmen

• स्त्रीणाम् (strīṇām): of women

• भर्ता (bhartā): husband

• बन्धुः (bandhuḥ): kinsman/refuge

• परा (parā): highest/supreme

• गतिः (gatiḥ): path, destiny, refuge

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Purāṇic dharma to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya; internal source-text voice)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames household life as a regulated dharmic order: steadiness, loyalty, and duty purify the pashu (individual soul) and make it fit for Shiva-bhakti, which culminates in worship of the Linga as the supreme refuge beyond worldly supports.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Implicitly, it contrasts worldly refuges with the ultimate: in Shaiva Siddhanta, all relations are within pāśa (bondage), while the final parā gati is Pati—Śiva—who alone grants liberation when the soul turns from dependence on transient supports to divine refuge.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is named; the takeaway is dharma-niyama (ethical discipline) in gṛhastha life as a preparatory limb supporting Shiva-pūjā and the inward Pāśupata orientation of reducing attachment to pāśa while remaining dutiful.