Shloka 20

Devanagari script

दधिवृक्षफलं यद्वद्वृत्तिश्चोर्ध्वमधस्तथा । एतदंडकटाहेन सर्वतो वै समावृतम्

Transliteration

dadhivṛkṣaphalaṃ yadvadvṛttiścordhvamadhastathā | etadaṃḍakaṭāhena sarvato vai samāvṛtam

Translation

Just as the fruit of the dadhivṛkṣa is rounded, its curve rising above and sinking below, so too this world-system is, on every side, wholly enclosed by the cauldron-like shell of the cosmic egg.

Word by Word

• dadhi-vṛkṣa-phalam: the fruit of the curd-tree (as an example)
• dadhi-vṛkṣa-phalam: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (dadhi-vṛkṣasya phalam)

• yadvat: just as
• yadvat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तुलनार्थक-निपात (comparative particle)

• vṛttiḥ: the form/shape; configuration
• vṛttiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• ūrdhvam: above/upwards
• ūrdhvam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• adhaḥ: below/downwards
• adhaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• tathā: so; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• etat-aṇḍa-kaṭāhena: by the cosmic-egg cauldron (shell)
• etat-aṇḍa-kaṭāhena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + kaṭāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (etad-aṇḍasya kaṭāhaḥ)

• sarvataḥ: on all sides; everywhere
• sarvataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/दिक्-अव्यय (adverb of direction)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• samāvṛtam: covered/enclosed
• samāvṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√vṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Sadyojāta

Shakti Dimension

Role: creative

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Brahmāṇḍa as a bounded cosmic container (aṇḍa-kaṭāha)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse uses a simple visual analogy to teach that the cosmos is a bounded, ordered enclosure; in Shaiva Siddhanta this supports discernment (viveka) that all created realms are within Pāśa (limitation), while liberation is attained by the grace of Pati, Lord Shiva.

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

By describing the universe as contained within a cosmic ‘egg,’ the text points to a higher, all-pervading Lord who transcends the enclosure; Linga worship centers the mind on Shiva as both immanent within the cosmos (saguṇa for devotion) and transcendent beyond it (nirguṇa as the supreme).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is contemplative meditation on the Brahmāṇḍa as limited and impermanent while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating detachment from worldly boundaries and turning inward to Shiva’s liberating presence.