Shloka 61

Dehāśucitā-vicāraḥ

Inquiry into the Impurity of the Body

Devanagari script

वलीपलितखालित्यैश्शिथिलिकृतविग्रहम् । सर्वक्रियास्वशक्तिं च जरया जर्जरीकृतम्

Transliteration

valīpalitakhālityaiśśithilikṛtavigraham | sarvakriyāsvaśaktiṃ ca jarayā jarjarīkṛtam

Translation

Wrinkled, grey-haired, and bald, the body becomes slackened; and through old age one is rendered broken and powerless in every activity.

Word by Word

• valī-palita-khālityaiḥ: by wrinkles, greyness, and baldness
• valī-palita-khālityaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: valī (प्रातिपदिक) + palita (प्रातिपदिक) + khālitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (valī+palita+khālitya = wrinkles, grey hair, baldness); Instrumental plural

• śithilī-kṛta-vigraham: having the body made slack/loose
• śithilī-kṛta-vigraham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śithilī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ धातु) + vigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (śithilī-kṛta = शिथिली-कृत ‘made loose’; kṛta = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त past participle; vigraha = body); Accusative singular qualifying an implied ‘person’

• sarva-kriyāsu: in all activities
• sarva-kriyāsu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (sarva-kriyā = सर्वाः क्रियाः); Locative plural

• aśaktim: incapacity
• aśaktim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्गयुक्त-प्रातिपदिक (a- ‘not’ + śakti); Accusative singular

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

• jarayā: by old age
• jarayā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jarā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• jarjarī-kṛtam: made decrepit
• jarjarī-kṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jarjarī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (jarjarī-kṛta = जर्जरीकृत ‘made decrepit’); past participle; Accusative singular (qualifying the same implied object/person)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within Umāsaṃhitā to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: General vairāgya-upadeśa: contemplation of jarā (senescence) as a spur to seek Śiva’s anugraha and pursue sādhana before bodily decline.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights the inevitable decay of the body—wrinkles, greying, baldness, and incapacity—so the seeker develops vairāgya and turns from dependence on the perishable to reliance on Pati (Lord Shiva), the imperishable giver of liberation.

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

By showing that bodily strength and worldly capacities fail with time, the verse directs attention to steadfast worship—such as Linga-pūjā and devotion to Saguna Shiva—as a stable support that carries the devotee toward grace when worldly supports collapse.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with simple Linga worship (water/leaf offering) and Tripuṇḍra-bhasma remembrance, cultivating detachment and steady inward focus as the body ages.