Shloka 28

भक्तिभेदाः—ज्ञानप्रधानभक्तेः प्रशंसा

Grades of Devotees and the Praise of Knowledge-Centered Devotion

Devanagari script

एवं दक्षमखः पूर्णोभवत्तत्र मुनीश्वरः । शंकरस्य प्रसादेन परब्रह्मस्वरूपिणः

Transliteration

evaṃ dakṣamakhaḥ pūrṇobhavattatra munīśvaraḥ | śaṃkarasya prasādena parabrahmasvarūpiṇaḥ

Translation

Thus, O lord among sages, Dakṣa’s sacrificial rite was brought to completion there—by the gracious favor of Śaṅkara, whose very nature is the Supreme Brahman.

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus
• evaṃ: Prakāra-dyotaka (प्रकार-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (अव्यय)

• dakṣa-makhaḥ: Dakṣa’s sacrifice
• dakṣa-makhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa + makha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: dakṣasya makhaḥ (दक्षस्य मखः)

• pūrṇaḥ: complete
• pūrṇaḥ: Kriyā-pūrakā (क्रिया-पूर्तक/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; predicate adjective

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धा॒तु)
• Form: Imperfect/laṅ (लङ्), 3rd person, Singular; parasmaipada

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• munīśvaraḥ: lord of sages
• munīśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: munīnām īśvaraḥ (मुनीनाम् ईश्वरः)

• śaṃkarasya: of Śaṅkara
• śaṃkarasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• prasādena: by (his) grace
• prasādena: Karaṇa/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• para-brahma-svarūpiṇaḥ: of him whose nature is the Supreme Brahman
• para-brahma-svarūpiṇaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-viśeṣaṇa (षष्ठी-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para + brahman + svarūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular; tatpuruṣa chain: para-brahma (परब्रह्म) + svarūpin (स्वरूपिन्) = ‘whose nature is the Supreme Brahman’; agrees with śaṃkarasya

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadashiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; the key doctrinal move is identifying Śaṅkara as parabrahma-svarūpin and making yajña-samāpti depend on his prasāda—typical Purāṇic theology supporting Śiva’s supremacy.

Significance: General: remembrance that all rites reach fulfillment only by Śiva’s grace; encourages humility and Śiva-śaraṇāgati.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Shankara
• Daksha

FAQs

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

It teaches that even a disrupted rite becomes truly fulfilled only through Śiva’s prasāda (grace), affirming Śiva as the supreme reality who alone grants auspicious completion and inner purification.

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

The verse links the manifest Lord (Śaṅkara who intervenes in the yajña) with the transcendent Parabrahman; in Linga worship, devotees approach Saguna Śiva to receive prasāda while recognizing His nirguṇa, supreme essence.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Cultivate prasāda-bhāva through daily Shiva-pūjā—offerings with humility, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and Tripuṇḍra/bhasma as a reminder that completion and merit arise by Śiva’s grace, not ego.