Shloka 4

प्रणवार्थपद्धतिवर्णनम्

Methodical Explanation of the Meaning of Praṇava/Om

Devanagari script

पदमेव हितं नित्यमनित्याः पदिनः स्मृताः । पदानां परिवृत्ति स्यान्मुच्यंते पदिनो यतः

Transliteration

padameva hitaṃ nityamanityāḥ padinaḥ smṛtāḥ | padānāṃ parivṛtti syānmucyaṃte padino yataḥ

Translation

Only the supreme Abode (Padam) is eternally beneficial; those who tread the paths (padinaḥ)—the embodied beings—are declared impermanent. Since the paths continually shift and turn, the path-travellers are bound and released again and again.

Word by Word

• padam: state/position/word (pada)
• padam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis/restriction

• hitam: beneficial/wholesome
• hitam: Pradhāna-viśeṣaṇa (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicate adjective

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial accusative (द्वितीया-अव्ययीभाव), ‘always’

• anityāḥ: impermanent
• anityāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• padinaḥ: those who have/are in a pada (holders of states)
• padinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• smṛtāḥ: are considered/called
• smṛtāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); used predicatively ‘are called/considered’

• padānām: of the padas/states
• padānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• parivṛttiḥ: change/turning about
• parivṛttiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parivṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• syāt: would be/should occur
• syāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Optative/विधिलिङ्, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• mucyante: are freed/released
• mucyante: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: Present/लट्, Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); passive-like sense ‘are released’

• padinaḥ: the padins (state-holders)
• padinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• yataḥ: because/from which
• yataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Causal indeclinable (हेतुवाचक-अव्यय)

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: saṃsāra-parivṛtti (cyclic recurrence of bondage and release)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It distinguishes the eternal goal—Shiva’s supreme state (Padam)—from the impermanent condition of embodied beings who repeatedly move through changing states; liberation becomes stable only by reaching the unchanging Pati (Shiva).

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

Linga-worship and Saguna Shiva devotion steady the mind amid changing ‘paths’ (life-states), guiding the devotee beyond transient experiences toward the unchanging Padam that the Linga signifies.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Shiva as the unchanging refuge (Padam) while repeating the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” using Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha to anchor remembrance and detachment from impermanent states.