Shloka 52

Devanagari script

शालग्रामशिला विष्णो तुलस्यास्तव संगमः । सदा सादृश्यरूपा या बहुपुण्यविवर्द्धिनी

Transliteration

śālagrāmaśilā viṣṇo tulasyāstava saṃgamaḥ | sadā sādṛśyarūpā yā bahupuṇyavivarddhinī

Translation

O Viṣṇu, the Śālagrāma stone and the sacred union with your Tulasī are ever of matching, auspicious nature, and they greatly increase manifold merit (puṇya).

Word by Word

• śālagrāmaśilā: the Śālagrāma stone
• śālagrāmaśilā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śālagrāma + śilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• viṣṇo: O Viṣṇu
• viṣṇo: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tulasyāḥ: of Tulasī
• tulasyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• saṃgamaḥ: union/meeting
• saṃgamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (Adverb of time)

• sādṛśyarūpā: having the form of resemblance / similar in form
• sādṛśyarūpā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sādṛśya + rūpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (Adjective)

• yā: who/which
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Relative pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• bahupuṇyavivarddhinī: increasing much merit
• bahupuṇyavivarddhinī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu + puṇya + vivarddhinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (Adjective)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: States the ever-auspicious pairing: Śālagrāma-śilā (Viṣṇu emblem) with Tulasī association; their ‘saṅgama’ is said to multiply puṇya—codifying a standard worship protocol.

Significance: Merit through proper upacāra: pairing the emblem with its प्रिय-द्रव्य (beloved offering) is framed as a puṇya-multiplier.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Tulasi

FAQs

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

It highlights that certain sacred supports of devotion—Śālagrāma and Tulasī—when joined in worship, powerfully multiply puṇya; in a Shaiva Siddhanta framing, such puṇya purifies the paśu (bound soul) and prepares it for Shiva’s grace (anugraha) leading toward liberation.

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

Though centered on Viṣṇu’s Śālagrāma and Tulasī, the verse underscores a broader Purāṇic principle: offering the proper, scripturally praised substances with devotion strengthens saguna-upāsanā; similarly, in Linga worship, prescribed offerings and reverent association with Shiva’s symbols intensify bhakti and inner purification.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform simple daily pūjā with disciplined purity—honoring the deity’s emblem (such as Śālagrāma in Vaiṣṇava practice) together with Tulasī offerings; for Shaiva practice, the parallel takeaway is steady, rule-based devotion (nitya-pūjā) supported by mantra-japa (e.g., the Panchakshara) to cultivate merit and readiness for Shiva’s grace.