Shloka 4

पुराणश्रवणप्रस्तावः

Prologue to the Recitation of the Śaiva Purāṇa

Devanagari script

यत्र गीतं त्रिकं प्रीत्या भक्तिज्ञानविरागकम्

Transliteration

yatra gītaṃ trikaṃ prītyā bhaktijñānavirāgakam

Translation

Where, with loving delight, the threefold teaching—devotion, true knowledge, and dispassion—is sung and celebrated.

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location/where)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable/अव्यय), relative adverb (स्थानवाचक)

• gītam: (is) sung/recited
• gītam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gai (धातु) + kta (क्त) → gīta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā/ Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc./प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन); kta-participle used substantively (कर्मणि क्त/PPP)

• trikam: the triad
• trikam: Karma (कर्म/Object; apposition to gītam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā/ Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc./प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन)

• prītyā: with love/affection
• prītyā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument; manner)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prīti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Tṛtīyā (Instrumental/तृतीया), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन)

• bhaktijñānavirāgakam: consisting of devotion, knowledge, and dispassion
• bhaktijñānavirāgakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of trikam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + virāga (प्रातिपदिक) + ka (क)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā/ Dvitīyā (Nom./Acc./प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन); dvandva: bhakti-jñāna-virāga (‘devotion, knowledge, dispassion’) + adjectival suffix -ka (क) meaning ‘consisting of/pertaining to’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific verse; it summarizes the chapter’s upadeśa as a triad (bhakti-jñāna-vairāgya) functioning as sādhana toward Śiva’s grace.

Significance: Hearing/reciting the triad is presented as an inner-tīrtha: purification of mind and orientation toward liberation through Śiva’s anugraha.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It praises the Shaiva path where liberation is nurtured through a harmonious triad—bhakti (loving surrender to Shiva), jñāna (right discernment of Pati, paśu, and pāśa), and vairāgya (freedom from binding attachments).

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

Singing and reciting Shiva’s teachings with love supports Saguna worship (Linga devotion) while maturing into jñāna and vairāgya, which purify the soul’s bonds (pāśa) and steady the devotee in Shiva-centered contemplation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular loving recitation (kīrtana/pāṭha) of Shiva-centered teachings—especially alongside japa of the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—cultivates devotion, insight, and detachment as a unified sādhana.