Shloka 45

नारदस्य विष्णूपदेशवर्णनम् — Nārada and Viṣṇu: Instruction after Delusion

Devanagari script

शिवेति नामदावाग्नेर्महापातकप र्वताः । भस्मीभवन्त्यनायासात्सत्यं सत्यं न संशयः

Transliteration

śiveti nāmadāvāgnermahāpātakapa rvatāḥ | bhasmībhavantyanāyāsātsatyaṃ satyaṃ na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

The very name “Śiva” is like a wildfire; mountain-like heaps of great sins are effortlessly reduced to ashes by it. This is truth—truth indeed—there is no doubt.

Word by Word

• शिव: ‘Śiva’
• शिव: सम्बन्ध (Name/quoted form)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सम्बोधन-एकवचन; इति-पूर्वपद (नाम-उद्धरण)

• इति: thus
• इति: सम्बन्ध (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक-अव्यय (quotative)

• नाम-दाव-अग्नेः: of the name-forest-fire (i.e., the wildfire of the name)
• नाम-दाव-अग्नेः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + दाव (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नाम्नः दावाग्निः = ‘name-forest-fire’)

• महापातक-पर्वताः: mountains of great sins
• महापातक-पर्वताः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापातक (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-भावे तत्पुरुष (महापातकानां पर्वताः)

• भस्मी-भवन्ति: become ashes
• भस्मी-भवन्ति: क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भस्मी (अव्यय/उपपद) + भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; उपपद-समासवत् क्रियापद (भस्मीभू = ‘to become ashes’)

• अनायासात्: without effort; effortlessly
• अनायासात्: हेतु (Hetu/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनायास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (by reason of, without effort)

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: वाक्यांश (Assertion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्य-प्रमाणार्थे (as assertion)

• सत्यम्: true indeed
• सत्यम्: वाक्यांश (Assertion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (emphatic repetition)

• न: not
• न: निषेध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘न संशयः’ = नास्ति संशयः (elliptic)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Āghoramūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha

Sthala Purana: The verse stresses nāma’s power to burn sin. Deoghar’s Vaidyanātha tradition similarly emphasizes Śiva as the healer who removes the ‘disease’ of pāpa and grants purification through devotion and worship.

Significance: Pilgrims seek healing, purification from sins, and strengthening of devotion; the name and worship of Śiva are held to be intrinsically purifying.

Mantra Metadata

Type: panchakshara

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It declares the purifying potency of Śiva-nāma: remembrance and repetition of “Śiva” burns accumulated karmic impurities, making the aspirant fit for grace (anugraha) and liberation.

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

In Saguna worship, the Name is a direct, accessible form of Śiva’s presence; chanting “Śiva” is treated as worship comparable to approaching the Liṅga—invoking the Lord’s auspicious power that dissolves sin and bondage.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Śiva-nāma japa (repetition of “Śiva” or the Pañcākṣarī ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’) as a daily practice; it can be paired with Liṅga-pūjā and Tripuṇḍra-bhasma for a Shaiva sādhana.