Shloka 9

ऋषभचरित्रवर्णनम् (Ṛṣabha-caritra-varṇanam) — “Account of Ṛṣabha’s Sacred Narrative”

Devanagari script

ततो भक्ता भविष्यन्ति ज्ञात्वा मां तत्त्वतोऽव्ययम् । जन्ममृत्युजराहीनाः परब्रह्मसमाधयः

Transliteration

tato bhaktā bhaviṣyanti jñātvā māṃ tattvato'vyayam | janmamṛtyujarāhīnāḥ parabrahmasamādhayaḥ

Translation

Thereafter, having known Me in truth as the imperishable Reality, they become devotees. Free from birth, death, and old age, they abide absorbed in samādhi upon the Supreme Brahman—Śiva, the Lord (Pati) who grants liberation.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/from that (thereafter)
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• bhaktāḥ: devotees
• bhaktāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• bhaviṣyanti: will become/will be
• bhaviṣyanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Absolutive/Gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having done)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• tattvataḥ: truly/in reality
• tattvataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb), अर्थः: यथार्थतः/तत्त्वेन (in truth)

• avyayam: imperishable
• avyayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (Singular); विशेषणम् (adjective) माम् इति (qualifies 'mām')

• janma-mṛtyu-jarā-hīnāḥ: free from birth, death, and old age
• janma-mṛtyu-jarā-hīnāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janma (प्रातिपदिक) + mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक) + jarā (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural); नञ्/वर्जनार्थ-तत्पुरुषः (determinative: 'devoid of birth, death, old age')

• para-brahma-samādhayaḥ: (they will be) samādhis fixed on the Supreme Brahman
• para-brahma-samādhayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + samādhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (Plural); षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः तत्पुरुषः: परब्रह्मणि/परब्रह्म-विषयकाः समाधयः (samādhis concerning the Supreme Brahman)

Speaker

Lord Shiva

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: Kāśī is celebrated as the place where Śiva grants tāraka-upadeśa and liberation; the verse’s ‘parabrahma-samādhi’ and freedom from birth/death aligns with Kāśī-mokṣa theology.

Significance: Mokṣa-kṣetra: remembrance/realization of Śiva as imperishable Reality; liberation from saṃsāra.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that true devotion arises from direct knowledge of Śiva as the imperishable Reality; such realization culminates in liberation—freedom from the cycle marked by birth, death, and aging—through steadfast absorption in Parabrahman.

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

In Shaiva practice, worship of the Liṅga (Saguna support for devotion) matures into tattva-jñāna—knowing Śiva “in truth” beyond change—so the external worship leads inward to parabrahma-samādhi rather than remaining mere ritual.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is dhyāna leading to samādhi: meditate on Śiva as avyaya (unchanging) while sustaining bhakti; this is commonly supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and contemplative focus on the Liṅga as the doorway to Parabrahman.