Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

कुरुक्षेत्रादिनिखिलपुण्यतीर्थेष्वनेकशः । आत्मतुल्यधनं सूर्य्यग्रहणे सर्वतोमुखे

Transliteration

kurukṣetrādinikhilapuṇyatīrtheṣvanekaśaḥ | ātmatulyadhanaṃ sūryyagrahaṇe sarvatomukhe

Translation

Even if one again and again gives away wealth equal to one’s very life at all holy pilgrimage-fords—Kurukṣetra and the rest—during a solar eclipse seen in every direction, that merit is still surpassed by the higher Śaiva merit taught here.

Word by Word

• kurukṣetra-ādi-nikhila-puṇya-tīrtheṣu: in all holy pilgrimage places beginning with Kurukṣetra
• kurukṣetra-ādi-nikhila-puṇya-tīrtheṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kurukṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + nikhila (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Multi-member Tatpuruṣa; Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग) agreeing with tīrtha; sense: ‘in all holy tīrthas beginning with Kurukṣetra’

• anekaśaḥ: many times
• anekaśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anekaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय) = ‘many times/in many ways’

• ātma-tulya-dhanam: wealth equal to one’s capacity
• ātma-tulya-dhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + tulya (प्रातिपदिक) + dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘wealth equal to oneself (i.e., as much as one’s own means)’

• sūrya-grahaṇe: during a solar eclipse
• sūrya-grahaṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarvataḥ-mukhe: (at the eclipse) facing all directions / everywhere
• sarvataḥ-mukhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvatas (अव्यय) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound used adjectivally; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन) (agreeing with grahaṇe understood); meaning ‘with faces in all directions / everywhere-facing’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Contrasts even maximal dāna at famed tīrthas during a rare cosmic event with the superior Śaiva merit being taught—reframing conventional dharma as secondary to Śiva-centered means.

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: solar eclipse

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It sets a comparative scale of merit: even extraordinary gifts at famed tīrthas during a powerful cosmic time (solar eclipse) are presented as inferior to the supreme Shaiva path being described—devotion to Pati (Shiva) as the direct giver of liberation.

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

By diminishing reliance on external merit alone (tīrtha and dāna), the text points toward the higher, direct means—worship of Saguna Shiva through the Linga with mantra and devotion, which leads beyond accumulated punya to Shiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Prioritize Shaiva sādhana over mere occasion-based merit: perform Linga-pūjā with the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), along with traditional aids like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa, especially on sacred times such as grahaṇa or Mahāśivarātri.