Shloka 43

Gaṅgā-Avataraṇa and the Naming of Gaṅgādvāra (गङ्गावतरणम्—गङ्गाद्वारप्रसिद्धिः)

Devanagari script

ततो भवंतु चण्डाला दुःखदारिद्र्यपीडिताः । शठा निन्दाकरास्सर्वे तप्तमुद्रांकितास्सदा

Transliteration

tato bhavaṃtu caṇḍālā duḥkhadāridryapīḍitāḥ | śaṭhā nindākarāssarve taptamudrāṃkitāssadā

Translation

“Therefore, let them become outcastes (caṇḍālas), tormented by sorrow and poverty—deceitful, all given to slander—ever bearing the marks of branding.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb): "thereafter/from that"

• bhavantu: let them become
• bhavantu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural), परस्मैपद

• caṇḍālāḥ: outcastes (caṇḍālas)
• caṇḍālāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṇḍāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• duḥkha-dāridrya-pīḍitāḥ: afflicted by sorrow and poverty
• duḥkha-dāridrya-pīḍitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + dāridrya (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍita (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (determinative) "duḥkha-dāridrya" + क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त "pīḍita"; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (passive sense): "afflicted by"

• śaṭhāḥ: deceitful
• śaṭhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• nindā-karāḥ: slanderers
• nindā-karāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative): "nindāṃ karoti" (one who does slander); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• tapta-mudrā-aṅkitāḥ: branded with a heated mark
• tapta-mudrā-aṅkitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय; √tap) + mudrā (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅkita (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय; √aṅk)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: tapta-mudrā (heated seal/brand) + aṅkita (marked); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Kotirudrasaṃhitā account to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Kālabhairava

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga origin; continues the curse consequences: social fall (caṇḍāla), suffering, and stigmatization.

Significance: Serves as a moral deterrent: slander (nindā) and deceit (śaṭhatā) are portrayed as leading to intensified pāśa (bondage) and social/spiritual degradation.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse warns that persistent deceit and slander (nindā) lead to heavy karmic downfall—social degradation, suffering, and poverty—showing that devotion to Shiva must be joined with ethical conduct, especially purity of speech.

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

In Linga-worship, bhakti is not merely ritual; offenses such as slander and hypocrisy obstruct grace. The verse functions as a caution against Shiva-aparādha, urging sincere Saguna Shiva devotion aligned with dharma.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to pair Shiva-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with vows of non-slander, truthful speech, and inner purification—so that external marks of devotion (bhasma, rudrākṣa) are supported by genuine conduct.