Shloka 30

पञ्चकृत्यलक्षणनिर्णयः

Definition of Śiva’s Five Cosmic Acts—Pañcakṛtya

Devanagari script

पंचब्रह्मस्वरूपाय पंच कृत्यायते नमः । आत्मने ब्रह्मणे तुभ्यमनंतगुणशक्तये

Transliteration

paṃcabrahmasvarūpāya paṃca kṛtyāyate namaḥ | ātmane brahmaṇe tubhyamanaṃtaguṇaśaktaye

Translation

Salutations to You whose very form is the Five Brahmas, and who preside over the five divine acts. Salutations to You—the Supreme Self and the Absolute Brahman—endowed with endless qualities and powers.

Word by Word

• paṃca-brahma-svarūpāya: to the one whose form is the five Brahmas
• paṃca-brahma-svarūpāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃca + brahma + svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास (पञ्च ब्रह्माणि स्वरूपाणि यस्य/पञ्चब्रह्मस्वरूपः)

• paṃca: five
• paṃca: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃca (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral adjective; indeclinable-like in many uses; here qualifying kṛtya

• kṛtyāya: to (the one of) the five acts
• kṛtyāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (collective sense) or Masculine depending on tradition; Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular; here in sense 'five acts' (पञ्चकृत्य)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular; enclitic

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; salutation

• ātmane: to the Self
• ātmane: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular

• brahmaṇe: to Brahman (the Absolute)
• brahmaṇe: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (Brahman); Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular

• tubhyam: to you
• tubhyam: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular

• ananta-guṇa-śaktaye: to (you) of endless qualities and power
• ananta-guṇa-śaktaye: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ananta + guṇa + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine; Dative (4th/चतुर्थी); Singular; तत्पुरुष-समास (अनन्ताः गुणाः शक्तयश्च यस्य/या)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It declares Shiva as both the transcendent Brahman (Ātman/Brahman) and the immanent Lord who actively governs the cosmos through the five acts, showing that liberation comes by His grace as well as by realizing Him as the Self.

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

By praising Shiva’s powers and cosmic functions, the verse supports Saguna worship—especially of the Linga—as the accessible form through which devotees honor the Supreme Brahman who is otherwise beyond thought.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to recite this as a namaskāra-śloka during Linga-pūjā with Panchākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), contemplating Shiva as both the inner Self and the Lord of the five cosmic acts.