Shloka 36
त्रिपुरवर्णनम् (Tripura-varṇanam) — “Description of Tripura”
ब्रह्मोवाच । नास्ति सर्वामरत्वं च निवर्तध्वमतोऽसुराः । अन्यं वरं वृणीध्वं वै यादृशो वो हि रोचते
brahmovāca | nāsti sarvāmaratvaṃ ca nivartadhvamato'surāḥ | anyaṃ varaṃ vṛṇīdhvaṃ vai yādṛśo vo hi rocate
Brahmā said: “There is no possibility of complete immortality for all. Therefore, O Asuras, desist. Choose some other boon—whatever truly pleases you.”
Brahmā
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It affirms the cosmic limitation placed on embodied existence: death cannot be annulled universally, and even gods uphold dharma by refusing boons that would destabilize the moral and karmic order.
In the Shiva Purana’s Shaiva frame, lasting refuge is not gained through extreme worldly boons but through turning to Shiva (Saguna worship such as Linga-pūjā) for purification and liberation beyond birth and death.
The implied takeaway is vairāgya (dispassion) toward impermanent boons and steadiness in Shiva-upāsanā—such as daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with bhasma and rudrākṣa as supportive disciplines.