Shloka 18

राहोः शिरच्छेदन-कारणकथनम् / The Account of Rāhu’s Beheading

Cause and Background

Devanagari script

रत्नोपहरणं चैव दैत्यानां च पराभवम् । देवैरमृतपानं च कृतं सर्वं च विस्तरात्

Transliteration

ratnopaharaṇaṃ caiva daityānāṃ ca parābhavam | devairamṛtapānaṃ ca kṛtaṃ sarvaṃ ca vistarāt

Translation

He narrated in full detail how the jewels were seized, how the Daityas were defeated, and how the Devas drank the nectar of immortality.

Word by Word

• ratna-upaharaṇam: taking away of jewels
• ratna-upaharaṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + upaharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘carrying off/bringing of jewels’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चय/अवधारण अव्यय)

• daityānām: of the Daityas
• daityānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• parābhavam: defeat
• parābhavam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parābhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• devaiḥ: by the gods
• devaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• amṛta-pānam: drinking of nectar
• amṛta-pānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘drinking of nectar’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• kṛtam: was done
• kṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु, कृ)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; used predicatively ‘was done’

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘all (this)’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• vistarāt: in detail
• vistarāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; adverbial ablative ‘in detail/at length’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: samudra-manthana aftermath (ratna emergence, deva-asura struggle, amṛta-pāna)

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Daityas
• Amrita

FAQs

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

It contrasts worldly “gains” (jewels and even amṛta) with the deeper Shaiva teaching that lasting freedom comes through Pati (Śiva) alone—victory and immortality are still within saṃsāra unless joined to dharma, devotion, and Shiva’s grace.

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

The narrative of divine victory and amṛta points devotees back to Saguna Shiva as the protector of cosmic order; Linga-worship centers the mind on the Lord who upholds dharma beyond the shifting fortunes of war, wealth, and even heaven’s pleasures.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Take the “true amṛta” as Shiva-bhakti: daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Tripuṇḍra-bhasma and a calm, dharma-aligned intention, seeking mokṣa rather than merely worldly victory.