Shloka 18

Mukti-bheda-nirūpaṇa (Classification of Liberation) and Śiva as the Sole Bestower of Mokṣa

Devanagari script

शिवो हि भजनाधीनो ज्ञानात्मा मोक्षदः परः । भक्त्यैव बहवः सिद्धा मुक्तिं प्रापुः परां मुदा

Transliteration

śivo hi bhajanādhīno jñānātmā mokṣadaḥ paraḥ | bhaktyaiva bahavaḥ siddhā muktiṃ prāpuḥ parāṃ mudā

Translation

Truly, Śiva is won over by devoted worship; He is the very essence of divine knowledge and the supreme bestower of liberation. By devotion alone, many have attained perfection and, with great joy, reached the highest freedom (moksha).

Word by Word

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) emphasizing/indeed

• bhajana-adhīnaḥ: dependent on worship
• bhajana-adhīnaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of śivaḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhajana (प्रातिपदिक) + adhīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘bhajanasyādhīnaḥ’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• jñāna-ātmā: whose essence is knowledge
• jñāna-ātmā: Apposition to Karta (कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘jñānam ātmā yasya/yo’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• mokṣa-daḥ: giver of liberation
• mokṣa-daḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of śivaḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (धातु)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘mokṣaṃ dadāti’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• paraḥ: supreme
• paraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of śivaḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhaktyā: by devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: only
• eva: Emphasis (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) restrictive/only

• bahavaḥ: many (people)
• bahavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• siddhāḥ: accomplished/perfected
• siddhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of bahavaḥ
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• muktim: liberation
• muktim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• prāpuḥ: attained
• prāpuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) with pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• parām: supreme
• parām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of muktim
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• mudā: with joy
• mudā: Karaṇa (करण) / Bhāva (भाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mudā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन) (adverbial use)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s teaching within the Kotirudra Samhita context to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that Shiva, though supreme and the embodiment of true knowledge, becomes accessible through sincere devotion; such bhakti ripens into siddhi and culminates in the highest moksha by Shiva’s grace.

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

It supports Saguna upasana: worshipping Shiva in a form (especially the Shiva Linga/Jyotirlinga) with love and reverence is presented as a direct means to win Shiva’s grace, which then reveals knowledge and grants liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Steady bhajana—such as Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) japa, Linga archana with devotion, and contemplative remembrance of Shiva as jñāna-svarūpa—are implied as the practical path leading to moksha.