Shloka 47

अध्याय १७ — देवपलायनं, विष्णोः प्रतियुद्धं, जलंधरक्रोधः

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

Devanagari script

पातालभवने दैत्यं निशुंभं सुमहाबलम् । स्थापयित्वा स शेषादीनानय द्भूतलं बली

Transliteration

pātālabhavane daityaṃ niśuṃbhaṃ sumahābalam | sthāpayitvā sa śeṣādīnānaya dbhūtalaṃ balī

Translation

Placing the mighty demon Niśumbha in a dwelling of Pātāla, that powerful one then brought Śeṣa and the others up to the surface of the earth.

Word by Word

• pātāla-bhavane: in the netherworld-dwelling; in Pātāla palace
• pātāla-bhavane: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक) + bhavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Ekavacana

• daityam: the Daitya (demon)
• daityam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• niśumbham: Niśumbha
• niśumbham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; apposition to daityam

• su-mahā-balam: very mighty
• su-mahā-balam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; adjective qualifying niśumbham

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

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• śeṣa-ādīn: Śeṣa and others
• śeṣa-ādīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; 'Śeṣa and others' (ādi indicates etc.)

• ānayat: brought
• ānayat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√nī (धातु)
• Form: Luṅ lakāra (Aorist/लुङ्), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

• bhū-talam: to the earth’s surface
• bhū-talam: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; goal of motion

• balī: the powerful one
• balī: Karta (Subject-apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; epithet of saḥ

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga narrative; it depicts asuric reordering of the lower worlds (Pātāla) and coercion of cosmic supports (Śeṣa), a dramatic image of bondage/constraint in the cosmos.

Characters & Entities

• Niśumbha
• Śeṣa

FAQs

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

It depicts the restoration of cosmic order: powerful beings are repositioned across realms (Pātāla and Bhūtala), implying that dharma is upheld by divinely governed hierarchy, not by demonic force.

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

Though not explicitly about the Liṅga, the verse supports the Saguna-Shiva worldview of the Purāṇa: Shiva’s governance manifests through ordered realms and divine agents, encouraging devotees to trust the Lord’s protective sovereignty.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) for inner stability—mirroring the verse’s theme of establishing (sthāpayitvā) the mind in right order under Shiva’s grace.