Shloka 19

छायापुरुषलक्षणवर्णनम्

Description of the Marks of the Shadow-Person

Devanagari script

सर्वतीर्थकृतस्नानाद्भवेद्दानस्य यत्फलम् । सर्वयज्ञफलं यच्च मालिन्या दर्शनात्तदा

Transliteration

sarvatīrthakṛtasnānādbhaveddānasya yatphalam | sarvayajñaphalaṃ yacca mālinyā darśanāttadā

Translation

The fruit of charity gained by bathing in all sacred pilgrimage waters, and the merit arising from all sacrifices—these are obtained then merely by beholding Mālinī.

Word by Word

• sarva-tīrtha-kṛta-snānāt: from bathing performed at all sacred places
• sarva-tīrtha-kṛta-snānāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Multi-member Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (पञ्चमी/5), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhavet: would be/arises
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• dānasya: of giving/charity
• dānasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• yat: which/that
• yat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarva-yajña-phalam: the fruit of all sacrifices
• sarva-yajña-phalam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• yat: which/that
• yat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (यद्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• mālinyāḥ: from Mālinī (i.e., by Mālinī's)
• mālinyāḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mālinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Ablative (पञ्चमी/5), Singular (एकवचन)

• darśanāt: from seeing/vision
• darśanāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Ablative (पञ्चमी/5), Singular (एकवचन)

• tadā: then/at that time
• tadā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse uses tīrtha-snānā and yajña as benchmarks, then declares Mālinī-darśana superior—typical purāṇic strategy of ‘internal tīrtha’ eclipsing external rites.

Significance: Promises that mere darśana of Mālinī yields the aggregate merit of sarva-tīrtha bathing, dāna, and sarva-yajña—recasting pilgrimage as contemplative encounter with Śakti.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Gaurī

Role: liberating

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati

FAQs

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

This verse elevates śraddhā-filled darśana (holy vision) of the Divine over external merit-making acts, teaching that grace and inner devotion can confer the same (or greater) puṇya than extensive pilgrimages, dāna, and yajña.

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

It supports Saguna-upāsanā: approaching Shiva (and the Śakti principle associated with Him) through accessible forms and sacred presence. Darśana—such as of a shrine, deity, or sanctified manifestation—becomes a direct channel for anugraha (grace), not merely a symbolic act.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Seek darśana with purity and devotion—visit a Shiva-Śakti shrine, offer simple worship, and internally repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” treating darśana as a contemplative encounter rather than a mere sight.