Shloka 12

ब्रह्माण्डदान-प्रशंसा तथा ब्रह्माण्ड-प्रमाण-वर्णनम्

Praise of the Gift of the Cosmic Egg and Description of the Brahmāṇḍa’s Measure

Devanagari script

शेषस्यास्य गुणान् वक्तुं न शक्ता देवदानवाः । योनंतः पठ्यते सिद्धैर्देवर्षिगणपूजितः

Transliteration

śeṣasyāsya guṇān vaktuṃ na śaktā devadānavāḥ | yonaṃtaḥ paṭhyate siddhairdevarṣigaṇapūjitaḥ

Translation

Even the gods and the Dānavas cannot fully describe the qualities of this Supreme Lord. The Siddhas recite Him as the One whose source and end are unfathomable—praised by the Siddhas and worshipped by the hosts of divine seers.

Word by Word

• śeṣasya: of Śeṣa
• śeṣasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• asya: of this (one)
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• guṇān: qualities
• guṇān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vaktum: to speak
• vaktum: Prayojana/Artha (प्रयोजन/अर्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Tumun-infinitive (तुमुनन्त), ‘to speak’ (वक्तुम्)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• śaktāḥ: able
• śaktāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakta (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• deva-dānavāḥ: gods and Dānavas (demons)
• deva-dānavāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative)

• yo na antaḥ: whose end is not (known)
• yo na antaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ya (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + na (अव्यय) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: yo: Masculine, Nominative singular (प्रथमा एकवचन); na: negation particle; antaḥ: Masculine, Nominative singular (प्रथमा एकवचन) used predicatively ‘end’

• paṭhyate: is recited/read
• paṭhyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• siddhaiḥ: by the Siddhas
• siddhaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• devarṣi-gaṇa-pūjitaḥ: worshipped by the hosts of divine seers
• devarṣi-gaṇa-pūjitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: devarṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjita (प्रातिपदिक; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘(devarṣi-gaṇa) by whom (he) is worshipped’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s transcendence to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga-sthala passage; the verse is a transcendence (ananta/agochara) eulogy stressing Śiva’s immeasurable nature beyond deva/asura speech and cognition.

Significance: General phala: strengthens niścaya (conviction) in Śiva’s paratva (supremacy) and supports śaraṇāgati as the doorway to anugraha.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Devas
• Danavas
• Siddhas
• Devarshis

FAQs

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

It asserts Shiva’s anādi-ananta (beginningless and endless) nature: even exalted beings cannot exhaust His greatness, pointing the seeker toward humility, devotion, and direct spiritual realization rather than mere intellectual description.

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

By declaring Shiva’s origin and end as unknowable, the verse supports Linga-worship as a sacred symbol of the infinite—Saguna worship becomes a doorway to contemplate the Nirguna, limitless Pati (Lord) praised by Siddhas and Devarshis.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The key practice implied is paṭhana (devotional recitation) and nāma-smaraṇa—regular chanting of Shiva’s names/mantras (such as the Panchakshara) with reverence, cultivating bhakti and inner absorption in the infinite Shiva.