Shloka 13

घनागमवर्णनम् / Description of the Monsoon’s Onset

Satī’s Address to Śiva

Devanagari script

असमश्रीश्च कुटिलं भेजे यस्याथ किंशुकान् । उच्चावचान् कलौ लक्ष्मीर्गन्ता संत्यज्य सज्जनान्

Transliteration

asamaśrīśca kuṭilaṃ bheje yasyātha kiṃśukān | uccāvacān kalau lakṣmīrgantā saṃtyajya sajjanān

Translation

In the age of Kali, Lakṣmī—Prosperity—is fickle: she turns toward the crooked and the unworthy, and she forsakes the good. Without true discernment she goes to all kinds of people, high and low alike.

Word by Word

• असम-श्रीः: unequalled fortune
• असम-श्रीः: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असम (प्रातिपदिक) + श्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (असमा श्रीः)

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Samuccaya)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• कुटिलम्: crookedness/deceit
• कुटिलम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुटिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• भेजे: resorted to/embraced
• भेजे: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यस्य: whose/of whom
• यस्य: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• अथ: then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनन्तरार्थक/प्रसङ्गार्थक (then/now)

• किंशुकान्: kiṃśuka trees/flowers
• किंशुकान्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंशुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

• उच्च-अवचान्: high and low (varied)
• उच्च-अवचान्: कर्म-विशेषण (Karma-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उच्च (प्रातिपदिक) + अवच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (उच्चाः च अवचाः च) विशेषण (किंशुकान्)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• लक्ष्मीः: Lakṣmī/fortune
• लक्ष्मीः: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• गन्ता: will go
• गन्ता: कर्ता (Karta)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तरि (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भविष्यत्-भावार्थः (one who will go)

• संत्यज्य: having abandoned
• संत्यज्य: पूर्वक्रिया (Pūrvakriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया (having abandoned)

• सज्जनान्: good people
• सज्जनान्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सज्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: A Kali-yuga moral observation embedded in the travel/setting description; not tied to a specific liṅga-kṣetra origin.

Significance: Functions as upadeśa: worldly ‘Lakṣmī’ is unreliable; the sādhaka should seek Śiva’s anugraha rather than social prosperity.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Lalitā

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Kali-yuga moral inversion (dharma-kṣaya motif)

Characters & Entities

• Lakshmi

FAQs

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

It teaches vairāgya (dispassion): in Kali Yuga, worldly prosperity is unstable and often favors crookedness, so the seeker should rely on dharma and devotion to Śiva rather than on fortune.

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

Because Lakṣmī is portrayed as fickle in Kali Yuga, the verse implicitly points to the steadier refuge of Saguna Śiva worship—especially Liṅga-pūjā—which anchors the mind in purity and right conduct rather than in social status or wealth.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice daily Śiva-smaraṇa with the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple Liṅga-pūjā, cultivating detachment from gains and losses while upholding satya and śauca.