Shloka 39

Śiva-jñāna and the Non-dual Vision of a Śiva-maya Universe (शिवज्ञानम्—सर्वं शिवमयम्)

Devanagari script

प्रथमं विष्णवे दत्तं शंभुना लिंगसन्मुखे । विष्णुना ब्रह्मणे दत्तं ब्रह्मणा सनकादिषु

Transliteration

prathamaṃ viṣṇave dattaṃ śaṃbhunā liṃgasanmukhe | viṣṇunā brahmaṇe dattaṃ brahmaṇā sanakādiṣu

Translation

First, Śambhu bestowed it upon Viṣṇu in the very presence of the sacred Liṅga. Viṣṇu then gave it to Brahmā, and Brahmā passed it on to Sanaka and the other sages.

Word by Word

• prathamam: firstly
• prathamam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे प्रयुक्तम् (adverbial use of adjective), क्रियाविशेषण: ‘first/at first’

• viṣṇave: to Viṣṇu
• viṣṇave: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative, 4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• dattam: was given
• dattam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given’

• śaṃbhunā: by Śambhu
• śaṃbhunā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• liṅga-sanmukhe: in front of the liṅga
• liṅga-sanmukhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + sanmukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष: ‘liṅgasya sanmukhe’ = ‘in front of the liṅga’

• viṣṇunā: by Viṣṇu
• viṣṇunā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचन

• brahmaṇe: to Brahmā
• brahmaṇe: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), चतुर्थी (Dative, 4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• dattam: was given
• dattam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental, 3rd), एकवचन

• sanaka-ādiṣu: among Sanaka and others
• sanaka-ādiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sanaka (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative, 7th), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष: ‘sanakaḥ ādiḥ yeṣām’ (ādi in sense ‘etc.’) → ‘among Sanaka and others’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse evokes the Liṅga as the authoritative presence before which Śambhu transmits salvific knowledge/teaching to Viṣṇu, then through Brahmā to the mind-born sages (Sanaka etc.), mirroring the ‘liṅga as axis’ motif found in Liṅgodbhava narratives (endless pillar revealing Śiva’s supremacy).

Significance: Highlights paramparā (transmission) rooted in the Liṅga’s presence: approaching the Liṅga with humility aligns one with the original revelation and its liberating intent.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Brahma
• Sanaka

FAQs

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

It establishes a sacred transmission (paramparā) of Shiva-centered knowledge and practice, showing that even cosmic deities receive and pass on Śiva’s grace-based teaching, rooted in the presence of the Liṅga (Saguna Śiva as a support for realization).

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

The gift is given “before the Liṅga,” indicating that the Liṅga is not merely symbolic but a consecrated locus of Śiva’s accessible presence; devotion and instruction are authenticated through proximity to the Liṅga and carried forward through realized teachers.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Follow the received tradition: approach the Liṅga with reverence, receive mantra/teaching from a qualified lineage, and practice steady japa (e.g., Panchākṣarī—Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Liṅga-pūjā as the devotional support.