Shloka 29

Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa-prasaṅgaḥ — Genealogy of the Ikṣvāku Line and Exempla of Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

स गत्वा जयतां श्रेष्ठस्तनयैस्सह पार्थिवः । समुद्रं खनयामास वालुकार्णवमध्यतः

Transliteration

sa gatvā jayatāṃ śreṣṭhastanayaissaha pārthivaḥ | samudraṃ khanayāmāsa vālukārṇavamadhyataḥ

Translation

Then that king—foremost among the victorious—went there together with his sons and dug out the sea from the midst of the ocean of sand.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable; ‘having gone’

• jayatām: of the victorious
• jayatām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jayat (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √ji)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); ‘of the victorious/ those who win’

• śreṣṭhaḥ: best/excellent
• śreṣṭhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicative/qualifier of ‘pārthivaḥ’

• tanayaiḥ: with (his) sons
• tanayaiḥ: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahārtha-dyotaka (सहार्थ-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: Prepositional indeclinable (सह-योगे अव्यय) governing instrumental

• pārthivaḥ: the king
• pārthivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• samudram: the sea
• samudram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• khanayāmāsa: dug out/caused to be excavated
• khanayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khan (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्) + liṭ (लिट्)
• Form: Causative (णिजन्त) ‘caused to be dug/dug out’; Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• vālukā-arṇava-madhyataḥ: from the midst of the ocean of sand
• vālukā-arṇava-madhyataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vālukā (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तस्)
• Form: Ablatival adverb (तस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय) ‘from the middle of the sand-ocean’; internal tatpuruṣa vālukārṇava ‘ocean of sand’ + madhya

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Episode belongs to the Dhundhu narrative: the king (Kuva(l)ayaśva/Sagara-type motif) with his sons excavates through a ‘sea of sand’ to reach the hidden ocean and confront the subterranean obstruction (Dhundhu).

Significance: Frames the ideal of kṣātra-dharma subordinated to divine will; effort (puruṣakāra) becomes fruitful only when aligned with grace (anugraha) later in the narrative.

FAQs

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

It highlights intense human effort and resolve within dharma; in a Shaiva Siddhanta reading, such exertion becomes fruitful when aligned with the higher order (Pati’s will), reminding the seeker that disciplined action prepares one for Shiva’s grace.

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

Though the verse is narrative and does not name the Linga directly, it reflects the Purāṇic theme that extraordinary acts undertaken with right intention ultimately point toward Saguna Shiva as the guiding Lord who makes arduous undertakings meaningful and spiritually oriented.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is perseverance in sādhana—steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and disciplined daily worship—mirroring the king’s unwavering effort, even when the goal seems vast like an ocean.