Shloka 54

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhāvidhiḥ — Installation Standards and Auspicious Parameters for Liṅga Worship

Devanagari script

जडानामजडानां च सर्वेषां भुक्तिमुक्तिदम् । तस्माद्वासं शिवक्षेत्रे कुर्यदामरणं बुधः

Transliteration

jaḍānāmajaḍānāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ bhuktimuktidam | tasmādvāsaṃ śivakṣetre kuryadāmaraṇaṃ budhaḥ

Translation

For all beings—whether dull-witted or discerning—that sacred kṣetra of Śiva bestows both bhukti (worldly fulfillment) and mukti (liberation). Therefore, the wise should dwell in Śiva’s holy field until life’s end.

Word by Word

• jaḍānām: of the dull/ignorant
• jaḍānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ajaḍānām: of the non-dull/wise
• ajaḍānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय-अव्यय)

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bhukti-mukti-dam: giver of enjoyment and liberation
• bhukti-mukti-dam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhukti (प्रातिपदिक) + mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक from √dā ‘to give’)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); used predicatively: ‘giving enjoyment and liberation’

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative used adverbially (तस्मात्) = ‘therefore/from that’

• vāsam: dwelling/residence
• vāsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• śiva-kṣetre: in Śiva’s sacred field (holy place)
• śiva-kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kuryāt: should do/should undertake
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Optative/Potential (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• ā-maraṇam: until death
• ā-maraṇam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva (ā + maraṇam) used adverbially = ‘up to death’

• budhaḥ: a wise person
• budhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: budha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: The verse summarizes the māhātmya of Śiva’s kṣetra (Kāśī): residence in the Lord’s domain grants both bhukti and mukti irrespective of intellectual capacity, emphasizing the kṣetra as a standing locus of Śiva’s grace (anugraha).

Significance: Vāsa (residence) in the kṣetra is presented as a direct means to both worldly well-being and final liberation; it frames the kṣetra as a salvific environment where Śiva’s grace overrides ordinary limitations of adhikāra.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It proclaims Shiva’s kṣetra as universally compassionate: regardless of one’s capacity or ignorance, sincere proximity to Shiva’s sacred domain can mature into both rightful worldly wellbeing (bhukti) and final release (mukti) by the Lord’s grace.

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

A Shiva-kṣetra is typically centered on Saguna Shiva worship—especially the Śiva-liṅga—where daily darśana, pūjā, and remembrance concentrate the mind on Pati (Shiva), loosening pāśa (bondage) and elevating the paśu (individual soul) toward liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse recommends kṣetra-vāsa (living in a Shiva holy place) supported by steady daily practice—liṅga-pūjā, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and a life of purity and devotion—maintained until life’s end.