Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ततो मां पितरं प्राह दक्षः प्रीत्या हि मत्सुतः । प्रणिपत्य त्वया कर्म कार्यं वैवाहिकं विभो

Transliteration

tato māṃ pitaraṃ prāha dakṣaḥ prītyā hi matsutaḥ | praṇipatya tvayā karma kāryaṃ vaivāhikaṃ vibho

Translation

Then Dakṣa—my son—addressed me, his father, with affection: “O Lord, having bowed down in reverence, you must perform the rites of marriage.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/krama (काल/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb of sequence (ततः)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (1st person pronoun), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• pitaram: (as) father
• pitaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; apposition to mām

• prāha: said/spoke
• prāha: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ah (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्, perfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• dakṣaḥ: Dakṣa
• dakṣaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• prītyā: with affection
• prītyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; bhāva-karaṇa ‘with affection’

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, emphasis/causal particle (निपात)

• mat-sutaḥ: my son
• mat-sutaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa ‘my son’

• praṇipatya: having bowed down
• praṇipatya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: Kṛdanta absolutive (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), indeclinable gerund; ‘having bowed’

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartṛ/Karaṇa (कर्ता/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (2nd person), Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; agent/instrument ‘by you’

• karma: act/rite
• karma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; here object-complement with kāryam

• kāryam: to be done
• kāryam: Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa (विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate adjective ‘to be done’ (gerundive sense)

• vaivāhikam: marriage-related
• vaivāhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaivāhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; qualifies karma

• vibho: O lord
• vibho: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana

Speaker

Brahma (narrating the Daksha episode within the Sati Khanda)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Satī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Daksha
• Brahma

FAQs

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

The verse highlights dharma expressed as sacred duty: even exalted beings are approached with humility (praṇipāta) and requested to uphold ordained rites, showing that disciplined action can support spiritual order and prepare the mind for devotion to Pati (Shiva).

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

Though the verse speaks of marriage rites rather than direct Liṅga worship, it reflects the Shiva Purana’s broader teaching that Saguna forms and worldly duties can be sanctified through reverence—actions offered in humility become aligned with devotion and, ultimately, remembrance of Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is praṇipāta (bowing/prostration) as a daily discipline before sacred acts; one may pair it with japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to consecrate duty with Shaiva bhakti.