Shloka 41

द्वादशज्योतिर्लिङ्गावतारकथनम्

Account of the Twelve Jyotirliṅga Manifestations

Devanagari script

वैद्यनाथेश्वरशिवमाहात्म्यमनुशासनम् । पठतां शृण्वतां चापि भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदं मुने

Transliteration

vaidyanātheśvaraśivamāhātmyamanuśāsanam | paṭhatāṃ śṛṇvatāṃ cāpi bhuktimuktipradaṃ mune

Translation

O sage, this sacred injunction concerning the glory of Lord Vaidyanātheśvara Śiva grants both bhukti and mukti to those who recite it and to those who listen to it.

Word by Word

• vaidyanātha-īśvara-śiva-māhātmya-anuśāsanam: the instruction/teaching on the glory of Vaidyanātheśvara-Śiva
• vaidyanātha-īśvara-śiva-māhātmya-anuśāsanam: Karma (कर्म)/Viṣaya (विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaidyanātha (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक) + anuśāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘वैद्यनाथेश्वर-शिवस्य माहात्म्यस्य अनुशासनम्’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (contextually nominative as heading/topic)

• paṭhatām: of those who recite/read
• paṭhatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ) ‘पठत्’ का षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• śṛṇvatām: of those who listen
• śṛṇvatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ) ‘शृण्वत्’ का षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), ‘also/even’

• bhukti-mukti-pradam: granting enjoyment and liberation
• bhukti-mukti-pradam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhukti (प्रातिपदिक) + mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘anuśāsanam’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Vaidyanātha

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vaidyanatheshvara

FAQs

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

It teaches that śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation) of Śiva’s māhātmya are themselves efficacious sādhana, capable of granting both dharmic well-being (bhukti) and final release (mukti) through devotion to Pati (Śiva).

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

By praising Vaidyanātheśvara—Śiva approached in a tangible, name-and-form aspect—it affirms Saguna worship: devotion to Śiva’s manifest presence (often centered on Liṅga-mahātmya) as a direct means to grace and liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular recitation and attentive listening to the Vaidyanātheśvara māhātmya as a devotional discipline, ideally paired with Śiva-bhakti practices such as mantra-japa (e.g., the Pañcākṣarī) and reverent worship.