Shloka 23

अवंतीस्थ-ब्राह्मणकथा तथा तृतीय-ज्योतिर्लिङ्गोपाख्यान-प्रस्तावना

Avanti Brahmin Narrative and Prelude to the Third Jyotirliṅga

Devanagari script

यदि जीवितुमिच्छा स्यात्तदा धर्मं शिवस्य च । वेदानां परमं धर्मं त्यक्त्वा सुखसुभागिनः

Transliteration

yadi jīvitumicchā syāttadā dharmaṃ śivasya ca | vedānāṃ paramaṃ dharmaṃ tyaktvā sukhasubhāginaḥ

Translation

If one truly wishes to live well and meaningfully, one should follow the Dharma of Lord Śiva. Those who abandon the supreme Dharma taught by the Vedas become mere seekers of comfort and worldly fortune.

Word by Word

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• jīvitum: to live
• jīvitum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jīv (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive): ‘to live’

• icchā: desire
• icchā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: icchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• syāt: should be; may be
• syāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• dharmam: dharma; duty
• dharmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śivasya: of Śiva
• śivasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• vedānām: of the Vedas
• vedānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• dharmam: dharma; duty
• dharmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tyaktvā: having abandoned
• tyaktvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tyaj (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having abandoned’

• sukha-subhāginaḥ: happy and fortunate
• sukha-subhāginaḥ: Karta/Viśeṣya (कर्ता/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + subhāgin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘सुखेन सुभागिनः/सुखसुभागिनः’ (fortunate with happiness)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: General Śiva Purāṇa didactic pivot: ‘to live’ (jīvitum) is redefined as living in Śiva-dharma; abandoning Vedic supreme dharma leads to mere sukha-saubhāgya chasing—typical Purāṇic moral reversal.

Significance: Frames pilgrimage as dharma-alignment: true longevity/meaning comes from Śiva-dharma grounded in Veda; worldly prosperity without dharma is spiritually sterile.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vedas

FAQs

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

It asserts that true “life” is life aligned with Śiva-dharma—living in accordance with the highest Vedic aim (dharma leading to liberation), rather than reducing religion to the pursuit of comfort and social prosperity.

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

Śiva-dharma in the Purāṇa is commonly embodied through saguna upāsanā—reverent worship of Śiva as the Liṅga—where devotion is disciplined by Vedic principles (purity, truthfulness, restraint), making worship a path toward grace and release.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt Śiva-dharma through steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and conduct consistent Śiva-pūjā (especially Liṅga worship), treating these as Veda-aligned disciplines rather than mere wish-fulfillment rites.