Shloka 60

Kṛṣṇādi-Śivabhaktoddhāraṇa & Śiva-māhātmya-varṇana

Deliverance of Krishna and other devotees; Description of Shiva’s Greatness

Devanagari script

असितस्यानुजः पूर्वं पीडया कृतवांस्तपः । मूलग्राहेण विश्वस्य देवलो नाम तापसः

Transliteration

asitasyānujaḥ pūrvaṃ pīḍayā kṛtavāṃstapaḥ | mūlagrāheṇa viśvasya devalo nāma tāpasaḥ

Translation

Formerly, the younger brother of Asita—an ascetic named Devala—performed austerities, driven by affliction, seeking to grasp the very root-cause of the universe.

Word by Word

• असितस्य: of Asita
• असितस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• अनुजः: younger brother
• अनुजः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वं: formerly
• पूर्वं: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly/before)

• पीडया: through suffering/affliction
• पीडया: Hetu/Karaṇa (हेतु/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• कृतवान्: having performed
• कृतवान्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle/agentive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि (one who has done)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• मूल-ग्राहेण: by (one) who grasps the root / by root-seizing
• मूल-ग्राहेण: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + ग्राह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मूलं गृह्णाति/मूलस्य ग्राहः—root-grasper)

• विश्वस्य: of the world
• विश्वस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• देवलः: Devala
• देवलः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: संज्ञासूचक-अव्यय (indeclinable indicating name: 'named')

• तापसः: ascetic
• तापसः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Devala’s tapas is motivated by existential affliction and a quest for the universe’s root-cause—setting up a teaching arc where Śiva as the ultimate cause is disclosed.

Significance: Frames the archetypal pilgrim-seeker: suffering (pīḍā) becomes the catalyst for inquiry into the mūla-kāraṇa, culminating (in the broader narrative) in Śiva-oriented realization.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Devala
• Asita

FAQs

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

It presents tapas as a purifying discipline born from life’s pressure, turning the seeker toward the universe’s root-cause—ultimately Pati (Lord Shiva), the supreme ground of liberation in Shaiva thought.

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

Seeking the ‘root of the universe’ aligns with approaching Shiva as both the manifest support (Saguna, worshipped as the Linga) and the transcendent cause behind all manifestation (Nirguna), with Linga-worship serving as a concrete doorway to that realization.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse implies disciplined tapas—practically expressed as steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), meditation on Shiva as the causal ground, and supportive observances like bhasma (Tripundra) and rudraksha where taught in the Purana.