Shloka 37

Saṃjñā–Chāyā Upākhyāna: Sūrya-tejas, Substitution, and the Birth of Manu, Yama, and Yamunā

Devanagari script

यमस्तु कर्मणा तेन भृशं पीडितमानसः । धर्मेण रंजयामास धर्मराज इमा प्रजाः

Transliteration

yamastu karmaṇā tena bhṛśaṃ pīḍitamānasaḥ | dharmeṇa raṃjayāmāsa dharmarāja imā prajāḥ

Translation

But Yama—his mind sorely afflicted by that deed—then gladdened these beings through righteousness, through dharma. Thus did Dharmarāja, the Lord of Justice, guide the people by the rule of dharma.

Word by Word

• yamaḥ: Yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा) Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; nipāta/particle (निपात) = adversative/emphatic “but/indeed”

• karmaṇā: by the deed/action
• karmaṇā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/तृतीया) Ekavacana

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument) / Sahakārī (सहकारी/Agent-associate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (Pronoun/सर्वनाम), Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग) or Napuṃsaka (Neuter/नपुंसक) contextually; Tṛtīyā (Instrumental/तृतीया) Ekavacana

• bhṛśam: greatly
• bhṛśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kriyāviśeṣaṇa/adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) = “excessively/very much”

• pīḍita-mānasaḥ: one whose mind was afflicted
• pīḍita-mānasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of karta “yamaḥ”)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīḍita (पीडित; √pīḍ (धातु) + kta) + mānasa (मानस; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) = karmadhāraya-like determinative “pīḍitaṃ mānasaṃ yasya”; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nominative) Ekavacana; kta-participle (क्त-कृदन्त) used adjectivally

• dharmeṇa: by righteousness/dharma
• dharmeṇa: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā (Instrumental) Ekavacana

• raṃjayāmāsa: gladdened/pleased
• raṃjayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rañj (रञ्ज् धातु) + ṇic (णिच् causative) + liṭ (लिट्)
• Form: Causative (णिजन्त/causative) of √rañj; Liṭ lakāra (Perfect/लिट्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष) Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• dharma-rājaḥ: the king of dharma (Dharmarāja)
• dharma-rājaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject-apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) “dharmaṇā rājā”/“rājā of dharma”; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nominative) Ekavacana; apposition to “yamaḥ”

• imāḥ: these
• imāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma-adjective (सर्वनाम-विशेषण), Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (Nominative) Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन); agrees with “prajāḥ”

• prajāḥ: subjects/creatures
• prajāḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object) (of raṃjayāmāsa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रजा; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (Nominative) Bahuvacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Dharma

FAQs

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

It highlights that even Dharmarāja acts under the higher order of dharma: when an act troubles the conscience, restoration comes through righteousness—aligning karma toward inner purity, which supports the soul’s gradual release from pasha (bondage).

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

In Shaiva understanding, worship of Saguna Shiva (including the Linga) is meant to refine conduct and consciousness; this verse reinforces that dharma is the lived expression of devotion, making the mind fit for Shiva’s grace (anugraha).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice daily self-review (dharma-vicāra) alongside Shiva-japa—especially the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—so actions become dharmic and the mind becomes steady and clear.