Shloka 18

द्वादशज्योतिर्लिङ्गावतारकथनम्

Account of the Twelve Jyotirliṅga Manifestations

Devanagari script

ओङ्कारः परमेशानो धृतः शम्भो परात्मनः । अवतारश्चतुर्थो हि भक्ताभीष्टफलप्रदः

Transliteration

oṅkāraḥ parameśāno dhṛtaḥ śambho parātmanaḥ | avatāraścaturtho hi bhaktābhīṣṭaphalapradaḥ

Translation

Śambhu, the Supreme Lord, the inner Self of all beings, assumed the form of Oṅkāra (Om). Truly, this is the fourth incarnation, granting devotees the fruits they desire.

Word by Word

• ओङ्कारः: Oṅkāra (the syllable Oṃ)
• ओङ्कारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओङ्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• परमेशानः: the Supreme Lord (Īśāna)
• परमेशानः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• धृतः: is held/born
• धृतः: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (PPP: ‘held/borne’)

• शम्भो: O Śambhu
• शम्भो: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• परात्मनः: of the Supreme Self
• परात्मनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• अवतारः: incarnation
• अवतारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• चतुर्थः: fourth
• चतुर्थः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• भक्ताभीष्टफलप्रदः: giver of devotees’ desired fruits
• भक्ताभीष्टफलप्रदः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्त + अभीष्ट + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-सम्बन्धार्थः) ‘भक्तानाम् अभीष्टं फलं प्रददाति’ (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Oṃkāreśvara

Sthala Purana: Śiva, the Supreme Lord and inner Self, assumes the form of Oṅkāra; this establishes the sanctity of Oṃkāra as a divine embodiment and grounds the Oṃkāreśvara Jyotirliṅga’s identity as Śiva’s self-manifest sign granting devotees desired fruits.

Significance: Worship of Śiva as Oṃkāra links mantra (praṇava) with liṅga; devotees seek both abhīṣṭa-phala and inner realization of the Parātman through praṇava-centered devotion.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: ओम् (oṃ) / ओङ्कार (oṅkāra)

Type: gayatri

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: dhupa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It identifies Om (Oṅkāra) as a direct manifestation of Shiva—the Supreme Pati—showing that the mantra-principle is not merely a symbol but Shiva’s accessible form that grants both worldly and spiritual fruits to devotees.

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

Oṅkāra is treated as Shiva’s worshipful presence, aligning with Saguna upāsanā: devotees approach the transcendent Parātman through a concrete support—sound (Om) and, by extension, the Linga as a stable focus for devotion and realization.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice Oṅkāra-japa (repetition of Om) and, in Shaiva usage, combine it with Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) as a steady meditation, especially in daily worship and Mahāśivarātri observances.