Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

उत्तरापथदेशस्य रक्षितारो महीक्षितः । अयोधस्य तु दायादः ककुत्स्थो नाम वीर्य्यवान्

Transliteration

uttarāpathadeśasya rakṣitāro mahīkṣitaḥ | ayodhasya tu dāyādaḥ kakutstho nāma vīryyavān

Translation

The kings who guarded the land of the Northern Route, Uttarāpatha, were mighty rulers upon the earth. From Ayodhyā’s lineage arose a valiant heir named Kakutstha.

Word by Word

• uttarāpatha-deśasya: of the country of the northern route
• uttarāpatha-deśasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttarāpatha (प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (uttarāpathasya deśaḥ)

• rakṣitāraḥ: protectors/guardians
• rakṣitāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakṣitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mahī-kṣitaḥ: kings (rulers of the earth)
• mahī-kṣitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mahīyāḥ kṣitaḥ)

• ayodhasya: of Ayodha
• ayodhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayodha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), adversative/contrastive

• dāyādaḥ: heir
• dāyādaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāyāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kakutsthaḥ: Kakutstha
• kakutsthaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kakutstha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) used for naming/appellation

• vīryavān: valiant/powerful
• vīryavān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vīryavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); विशेषण of kakutsthaḥ

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Characters & Entities

• Kakutstha
• Uttarāpatha
• Ayodha

FAQs

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

It frames righteous kingship as dharmic protection of the land—an outer reflection of inner discipline—supporting the Shaiva view that orderly life and virtue prepare the soul (paśu) to turn toward the Lord (Pati) for liberation.

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

Though not directly about the Liṅga, it sets the narrative world where ideal rulers uphold dharma; in the Shiva Purana, such dharma is sustained by devotion to Saguna Śiva and temple-centered worship that stabilizes society and the seeker’s mind.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied takeaway is dharma-protection through daily Shaiva discipline—reciting the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), maintaining purity, and offering simple worship—so one’s life becomes a guarded ‘realm’ fit for Śiva-bhakti.