Shloka 23

Vṛṣeśākhya-Śivāvatāra and the Initiation of the Kṣīrasāgara-Manthana

Churning of the Milk Ocean

Devanagari script

कोटिशस्तास्समुत्पन्नास्त्वमृतात्कामनिस्सृताः । ततोऽमृतं समुत्पन्नं जरामृत्युनिवारणम्

Transliteration

koṭiśastāssamutpannāstvamṛtātkāmanissṛtāḥ | tato'mṛtaṃ samutpannaṃ jarāmṛtyunivāraṇam

Translation

From that Amṛta, desires surged forth and arose in countless crores; and from those, again, Amṛta manifested—an elixir that wards off old age and death.

Word by Word

• कोटि-शस्ताः: in crores; innumerable
• कोटि-शस्ताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + शस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समासः (कोटि-शस् = ‘by crores/innumerably’)—adjectival use qualifying plural subject

• समुत्पन्नाः: arisen; produced
• समुत्पन्नाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-उत्-√पद् (धातु) → उत्पन्न (कृदन्त, क्त/क्तवत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• अमृतात्: from nectar (amṛta)
• अमृतात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• काम-निःसृताः: sprung from desire
• काम-निःसृताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + निः-√सृ (धातु) → निःसृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कामात् निःसृताः = ‘issued from desire’)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अमृतम्: nectar; amṛta
• अमृतम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) / द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; here as subject with predicate participle

• समुत्पन्नम्: arose; was produced
• समुत्पन्नम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-उत्-√पद् (धातु) → उत्पन्न (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• जरा-मृत्यु-निवारणम्: preventing old age and death
• जरा-मृत्यु-निवारणम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक) + मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + निवारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जरामृत्योः निवारणम् = ‘removal/prevention of old age and death’) used as predicate adjective of अमृतम्

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: samudra-manthana motif (cosmic churning) implied by amṛta/treasure-emergence sequence

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Amrita
• Kama

FAQs

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

It portrays a Shaiva insight: even when desire (kāma) proliferates endlessly, true “Amṛta” ultimately signifies the deathless principle—Shiva’s grace and liberating knowledge—that alone overcomes jarā (decay) and mṛtyu (death).

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

In Shatarudrasaṃhitā, Shiva’s manifest forms guide devotees from worldly arising (desire) toward the deathless essence (Amṛta). Linga worship of Saguna Shiva becomes the doorway to realizing the Nirguna, death-transcending reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to steady desire through japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and regular Tripuṇḍra-bhasma dhāraṇa, seeking Shiva’s “Amṛta” as inner transformation rather than mere worldly longevity.