Shloka 56

नारीसन्देहभञ्जक-शम्भ्ववतारकथा

The Account of Śambhu’s Incarnation that Dispels Doubts Concerning Women

Devanagari script

तत्पुत्रो यः पूर्वभवे सोऽस्मिञ्जन्मनि तत्सुतः । अहमेव हतैश्वर्य्यः शिवपूजा व्यतिक्रमात्

Transliteration

tatputro yaḥ pūrvabhave so'smiñjanmani tatsutaḥ | ahameva hataiśvaryyaḥ śivapūjā vyatikramāt

Translation

He who was his son in a former life has become his son again in this birth. And I myself have been deprived of prosperity and lordly fortune, because I transgressed the worship owed to Lord Śiva.

Word by Word

• tat-putraḥ: his son
• tat-putraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; genitive-tatpuruṣa sense: 'his son'

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; relative pronoun

• pūrva-bhave: in a previous life
• pūrva-bhave: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular; 'in the former existence/birth'

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine, Locative, Singular; deictic pronoun used with janmani

• janmani: birth / life
• janmani: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• tat-sutaḥ: (is) his son
• tat-sutaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; 'his son' (suta = son)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: 1st person pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• eva: indeed / only
• eva: Sambandha/Avadhāraṇa (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis

• hata-aiśvaryaḥ: deprived of prosperity
• hata-aiśvaryaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hata (कृदन्त/भूतकृदन्त) + aiśvarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; bahuvrīhi: 'whose prosperity/power is destroyed'

• śiva-pūjā: Śiva-worship
• śiva-pūjā: Karta/Viṣaya (कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; 'worship of Śiva' (object-genitive tatpuruṣa)

• vyatikramāt: due to transgression
• vyatikramāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vy-ati-kram (धातु) → vyatikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; 'from/because of transgression'

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana’s account; the verse itself reads as a first-person confession by a character within the story)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that prosperity and inner stability (aiśvarya) are sustained by right alignment with Pati—Lord Śiva—and that neglect or violation of Śiva-pūjā bears karmic consequences across births, while relationships can continue through rebirth according to karma.

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

Śiva-pūjā here points to concrete devotional observance—classically expressed through Saguna worship such as Liṅga-arcana—where reverence, purity of intention, and non-negligence are essential; transgression in worship is presented as a direct cause for loss of worldly and spiritual support.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Maintain steady daily Śiva-pūjā with repentance for lapses, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and simple Liṅga worship with water/abhisheka—performed consistently and without disrespect or omission.