Shloka 8

जालन्धरस्य दूतप्रेषणम् — Jalandhara Sends an Envoy to Kailāsa

The Provocation of Śiva

Devanagari script

हे योगिंस्ते दयासिन्धो जायारत्नेन किं भवेत् । भूतप्रेतपिशाचादिसेवितेन वनौकसा

Transliteration

he yogiṃste dayāsindho jāyāratnena kiṃ bhavet | bhūtapretapiśācādisevitena vanaukasā

Translation

O yogin, ocean of compassion—what use is the jewel of a wife to you, dwelling in the forest, a place frequented by bhūtas, pretas, piśācas and the like?

Word by Word

• हे: O!
• हे: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हे (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बोधनसूचक (vocative particle)

• योगिन्: O yogi
• योगिन्: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• दयासिन्धो: O ocean of compassion
• दयासिन्धो: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया-सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास (दयायाः सिन्धुः/दयासिन्धुः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• जायारत्नेन: with the ‘wife-jewel’ (precious wife)
• जायारत्नेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाया-रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (जायायाः रत्नम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular); प्रश्नवाचक

• भवेत्: would be / could happen
• भवेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular, active)

• भूतप्रेतपिशाचादिसेवितेन: by/with one frequented by ghosts, pretas, piśācas, etc.
• भूतप्रेतपिशाचादिसेवितेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूत-प्रेत-पिशाच-आदि-सेवित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: समाहार/तत्पुरुष-प्राय बहुपदसमास; ‘भूतप्रेतपिशाचादिभिः सेवितः’ (kta from √सेव्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental, Singular)

• वनौकसा: by/with a forest-dweller
• वनौकसा: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन-ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (वने ओकः यस्य/वनवासिन्); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a dialogue in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa; the line is spoken by an unnamed interlocutor addressing a yogin)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana

Characters & Entities

• Bhuta
• Preta
• Pishacha

FAQs

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

It highlights vairāgya: for a yogin devoted to liberation, worldly attachments—symbolized by spouse and household life—are questioned, especially when the yogin’s path is solitude, austerity, and Godward focus (Pati-oriented life) rather than pasha-bound entanglement.

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

The verse frames the yogin’s life as one oriented to Shiva as Pati (the Lord) rather than to social identity; in Shaiva practice this commonly expresses itself as single-pointed devotion—Linga worship, japa of Shiva’s names, and inner meditation—where Saguna Shiva becomes the accessible support for transcending fear and impurity associated with haunted wilderness imagery.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied takeaway is yogic detachment supported by Shiva-upāsanā: steady japa (especially the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), dhyāna on Shiva, and protective Shaiva observances such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa to stabilize the mind amid भय (fear) and tamasic influences symbolized by bhūtas and piśācas.