Shloka 3

शिवपुराण-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Śiva Purāṇa) / Śivapurāṇa Māhātmya

Devanagari script

कलिकल्मषविध्वंसि यस्मिञ्छिवयशः परम् । विजृम्भते सदा विप्राश्चतुर्वर्गफलप्रदम्

Transliteration

kalikalmaṣavidhvaṃsi yasmiñchivayaśaḥ param | vijṛmbhate sadā viprāścaturvargaphalapradam

Translation

O brāhmaṇas, in that sacred teaching/recital wherein the supreme glory of Śiva ever shines forth, the sins of the Kali age are destroyed, and it bestows the fruits of the four human aims—dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa.

Word by Word

• kali-kalmaṣa-vidhvaṃsi: destroying the impurity of the Kali age
• kali-kalmaṣa-vidhvaṃsi: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक) + kalmaṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhvaṃsin (प्रातिपदिक; from √dhvaṃs ध्वंस्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying śivayaśaḥ; तत्पुरुष: ‘kaleḥ kalmaṣam’ + ‘tasya vidhvaṃsī’ (destroyer)

• yasmin: in which
• yasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-Reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• śiva-yaśaḥ: the glory of Śiva
• śiva-yaśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + yaśas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘śivasya yaśaḥ’

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying yaśaḥ

• vijṛmbhate: expands/flourishes
• vijṛmbhate: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√jṛmbh (जृम्भ् धातु)
• Form: Present tense/लट्, Ātmanepada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); with preverb vi-

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक अव्यय)

• viprāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Agent; implied in giving)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• catur-varga-phala-pradam: bestowing the fruits of the four aims of life
• catur-varga-phala-pradam: Karma (कर्म/Object; as epithet in apposition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक; from √dā दा)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective (or appositional epithet) to śivayaśaḥ/purāṇa implied; तत्पुरुष: ‘caturṇāṃ vargāṇāṃ phalam’ + ‘phalaṃ pradadāti’

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: The verse’s ‘śiva-yaśaḥ’ and salvific śravaṇa aligns with Kāśī’s Viśvanātha-kṣetra where Śiva’s nāma-kīrtana and kathā are held to grant taraka-mokṣa; the Purāṇic frame often treats Kāśī as the paradigmatic place where Śiva’s glory ‘ever shines’.

Significance: Śiva-kathā/yaśaḥ-kīrtana is said to destroy Kali-doṣa and grant caturvarga; Kāśī is especially associated with mokṣa-prāpti through Śiva’s grace.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Kali-yuga (moral decline) as the implied cosmic-historical setting

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It declares that sincere hearing/recitation where Śiva’s supreme glory is revealed purifies Kali-yuga sin and becomes a complete spiritual means, culminating in mokṣa—showing Śiva as Pati (the liberating Lord) who removes pāśa (bondage).

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

The verse praises Śiva’s manifest glory (yaśas), aligning with Saguna devotion: worship and kīrtana of Śiva—often centered on the Liṅga—purify the devotee and lead from worldly aims toward liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Śiva-kathā-śravaṇa and Śiva-kīrtana are implied—regularly hearing/reciting the Śiva Purāṇa, chanting the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and dedicating the merit for purification and mokṣa.