Shloka 65

Bhāratavarṣa–Navabheda-Vyavasthā

The Nine Divisions of Bhāratavarṣa and Its Sacred Geography

Devanagari script

वर्षश्चायं तु कालेय भौम स्वर्गोपमो मतः । सर्वस्य सुखदः काले जरारोगविवर्जितः

Transliteration

varṣaścāyaṃ tu kāleya bhauma svargopamo mataḥ | sarvasya sukhadaḥ kāle jarārogavivarjitaḥ

Translation

“O Kāleya, this year on earth is regarded as heaven-like. In due time it becomes a giver of happiness to all, being free from old age and disease.”

Word by Word

• varṣaḥ: year/rainy season
• varṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चय)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; pronoun

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• kāleya: O Kāleya
• kāleya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāleya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (addressing Kāleya)

• bhauma: O Bhauma
• bhauma: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhauma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (addressing Bhauma)

• svarga-upamaḥ: like heaven
• svarga-upamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘comparable to heaven’

• mataḥ: is considered
• mataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mata (कृदन्त, √man, PPP)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate ‘considered’

• sarvasya: for/of everyone
• sarvasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• sukha-daḥ: bestowing happiness
• sukha-daḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + da (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक from √dā ‘to give’)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘giver of happiness’

• kāle: in (that) time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• jarā-roga-vivarjitaḥ: free from aging and illness
• jarā-roga-vivarjitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jarā (प्रातिपदिक) + roga (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (कृदन्त, √varj, PPP)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘free from old age and disease’

Speaker

Lord Shiva (narrating within the Umāsaṃhitā discourse)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Umā

Role: nurturing

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: didactic praise of a time/condition on earth likened to svarga; freedom from jarā-roga as a grace-like boon

FAQs

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

It teaches that when life is aligned with dharma and Shiva’s grace, even earthly existence can become “heaven-like,” culminating—at the proper ripening of time (kāla)—in wellbeing and freedom from the afflictions symbolized by old age and disease.

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

By honoring Saguna Shiva through Linga-worship, the devotee sanctifies time and experience; the verse frames Shiva’s auspicious governance of kāla as the force that transforms worldly life into a higher state leading toward liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular Shiva-upāsanā—daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), application of tripuṇḍra-bhasma, and devotionally offering water to the Linga—supports inner purity and steadiness so that Shiva’s auspicious “due time” bears fruit.