Shloka 65

Kṛṣṇādi-Śivabhaktoddhāraṇa & Śiva-māhātmya-varṇana

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

Devanagari script

गार्ग्याय प्रददौ शर्वो मोक्षं च भुवि दुर्लभम् । कामचारी महाक्षेत्रं कालज्ञानं महर्द्धिमत्

Transliteration

gārgyāya pradadau śarvo mokṣaṃ ca bhuvi durlabham | kāmacārī mahākṣetraṃ kālajñānaṃ maharddhimat

Translation

To Gārgya, Śarva (Lord Śiva) granted even mokṣa—so rare to attain in this world—along with the boon of moving at will, access to a great sacred field of pilgrimage, knowledge of Time (kāla), and lofty, magnificent spiritual prosperity.

Word by Word

• gārgyāya: to Gārgya
• gārgyāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gārgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचन

• pradadau: gave
• pradadau: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+dā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śarvaḥ: Śarva (Śiva)
• śarvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunctive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• durlabham: hard to obtain
• durlabham: Karma (कर्म/object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of mokṣam)

• kāma-cārī: moving at will; free to roam
• kāma-cārī: Karta (कर्ता/subject epithet)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + cārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'moving as desired/at will'), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (implicit subject/Śarvaḥ or as epithet)

• mahā-kṣetram: a great sacred place
• mahā-kṣetram: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय ('great sacred field/place'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kāla-jñānam: knowledge of time
• kāla-jñānam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष ('knowledge of time'), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mahat-ṛddhi-mat: endowed with great prosperity/power
• mahat-ṛddhi-mat: Karma (कर्म/object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + matup (तद्धित)
• Form: तत्पुरुष ('having great prosperity/power'); मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त (possessive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with mahā-kṣetram/kāla-jñānam as additional gift)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the greatness of Shiva’s boons within the Uma Samhita discourse)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse speaks of Śiva granting access to a ‘mahākṣetra’ (great sacred field). While not naming a Jyotirliṅga, this aligns with Purāṇic patterns where Śiva’s grace grants kṣetra-adhikāra (eligibility/entry) and tīrtha-phala.

Significance: Mahākṣetra access signifies intensified merit, purification, and readiness for mokṣa through kṣetra-vāsa/darśana.

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Gargya

FAQs

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

It presents Śiva as Pati—the liberating Lord—who can grant the highest goal (mokṣa) along with subsidiary siddhis; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such powers are secondary, while liberation is the supreme grace (anugraha).

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

The verse highlights Saguna Śiva (Śarva) as the compassionate bestower of boons; Linga-worship and devotion to Śiva’s manifest form are portrayed as direct means to receive His grace, culminating in mokṣa rather than mere worldly attainments.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is to seek mokṣa through Śiva-bhakti supported by japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), along with traditional Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa—treating siddhis as incidental, not the aim.