Shloka 8

Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites

Devanagari script

वसिष्ठ उवाच । पुरा लीलावती नाम वेश्या शिवपरायणा । तया दत्तश्चतुर्दश्यां पुष्करे लवणाचलः

Transliteration

vasiṣṭha uvāca | purā līlāvatī nāma veśyā śivaparāyaṇā | tayā dattaścaturdaśyāṃ puṣkare lavaṇācalaḥ

Translation

Vasiṣṭha said: Long ago there was a courtesan named Līlāvatī, wholly devoted to Śiva. On the fourteenth lunar day, she made a gift at Puṣkara—an offering as great as Mount Lavaṇācala.

Word by Word

• vasiṣṭhaḥ: Vasiṣṭha
• vasiṣṭhaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kāla (Time adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

• līlāvatī: Līlāvatī
• līlāvatī: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlāvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय

• nāma: named
• nāma: Viśeṣaṇa (Naming marker/नामसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशक-अव्यय (indeclinable used to indicate name)

• veśyā: courtesan
• veśyā: Kartā (Appositional subject/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समानाधिकरण (apposition)

• śiva: Śiva
• śiva: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासे पूर्वपद

• parāyaṇā: devoted (to)
• parāyaṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘śiva-parāyaṇā’—शिवे परायणत्वं यस्याः

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Kartṛ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ (passive agent)

• dattaḥ: given, donated
• dattaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धातु) + datta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि भावः—‘given’

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth (tithi)
• caturdaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (Time-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तिथिवाचक—अधिकरण (on the 14th lunar day)

• puṣkare: at Puṣkara
• puṣkare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (place)

• lavaṇa: salty
• lavaṇa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lavaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासे पूर्वपद (salty)

• acalaḥ: mountain
• acalaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय; ‘lavaṇācalaḥ’ इति समास

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Geographic Context

Type: tirtha

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: वसिष्ठ उवाच = vasiṣṭhaḥ + uvāca (विसर्गलोप); शिवपरायणा = śiva + parāyaṇā (समास); दत्तश्चतुर्दश्यां = dattaḥ + caturdaśyām (विसर्गसन्धि); लवणाचलः = lavaṇa + acalaḥ (समास)

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Līlāvatī
• Śiva
• Puṣkara
• Lavaṇācala

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography of sacred Tīrthas?

It highlights Puṣkara as a major pilgrimage site where acts like dāna (charitable giving) are portrayed as especially meritorious.

How does this verse emphasize the path of Bhakti?

By describing Līlāvatī—despite her social identity as a courtesan—as “śivaparāyaṇā,” it stresses that sincere devotion to Śiva is spiritually significant regardless of background.

What is the ethical lesson from this dialogue?

The verse links inner devotion with outward generosity: steadfast bhakti expressed through timely charity (here, on caturdaśī at a tīrtha) is presented as a powerful ethical and spiritual practice.