Shloka 45

अध्याय १७ — देवपलायनं, विष्णोः प्रतियुद्धं, जलंधरक्रोधः

Devas’ Rout, Viṣṇu’s Counterattack, and Jalandhara’s Wrath

Devanagari script

जलंधरोऽथ देवानामधिकारेषु दानवान् । स्थापयित्वा सहर्षस्सन्पुनरागान्महीतलम्

Transliteration

jalaṃdharo'tha devānāmadhikāreṣu dānavān | sthāpayitvā saharṣassanpunarāgānmahītalam

Translation

Then Jalandhara, having installed the Dānavas in the very offices and jurisdictions of the gods, rejoicing, returned again to the earth.

Word by Word

• jalaṃdharaḥ: Jalandhara
• jalaṃdharaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jalaṃdhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; anantaram (then/अथ) discourse-sequencer

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana

• adhikāreṣu: in the offices/positions of authority
• adhikāreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Bahuvacana

• dānavān: the Dānavas (demons)
• dānavān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• sthāpayitvā: having installed/appointed
• sthāpayitvā: Kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + ṇic (causative/णिच्) → sthāpaya + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), pūrvakāla-kriyā (prior action)

• sa-harṣaḥ: joyful; with delight
• sa-harṣaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + harṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; avyayībhāva meaning 'with joy' used adjectivally

• san: being
• san: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Vartamāna-kṛdanta (present participle/वर्तमान कृदन्त), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; agreeing with jalaṃdharaḥ

• punar: again
• punar: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (again/पुनर्)

• agāt: went
• agāt: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: Luṅ lakāra (Aorist/लुङ्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana

• mahī-talam: to the earth’s surface; ground
• mahī-talam: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter/नपुंसक), Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; it narrates Jalandhara’s usurpation of deva-offices as part of the cosmic conflict preceding Śiva’s reassertion of dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Jalandhara
• Devas
• Danavas

FAQs

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

It shows how adharma spreads when power is seized and sacred duties are assigned to the unfit; in Shaiva thought, such disorder ultimately compels the restoration of dharma under the higher sovereignty of Pati (Śiva).

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

Though the verse is political in narrative, it highlights the fragility of worldly offices; Linga-worship centers the devotee in Saguna Śiva as the stable Lord beyond changing authorities, the true source of order and protection.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to cultivate steadiness through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple daily Tripuṇḍra-bhasma remembrance, anchoring the mind in Śiva when outer structures become unstable.