Shloka 8

Devanagari script

कोलाहलो महानासीत्तत्र तद्वस्तु गृह्णताम् । तत्रैव ब्रह्मविष्णुभ्यां चार्चितः शंकरः पुरा

Transliteration

kolāhalo mahānāsīttatra tadvastu gṛhṇatām | tatraiva brahmaviṣṇubhyāṃ cārcitaḥ śaṃkaraḥ purā

Translation

As they tried to seize that wondrous Reality, a great tumult arose there; and right there, in ancient times, Śaṅkara was worshipped by Brahmā and Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• kolāhalaḥ: uproar; tumult
• kolāhalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kolāhala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahān: great
• mahān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (महत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• āsīt: was
• āsīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु ‘to be’)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय) ‘there’

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• vastu: thing; object
• vastu: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• gṛhṇatām: of those who were taking
• gṛhṇatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (ग्रह् धातु) → gṛhṇa (present stem)
• Form: Present participle used as genitive plural (शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त ‘gṛhṇat’), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); ‘of those taking/seizing’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (देशवाचक-अव्यय) ‘there’

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारणार्थक निपात) ‘indeed/just’

• brahma-viṣṇubhyām: by Brahmā and Viṣṇu
• brahma-viṣṇubhyām: Karana (करण) (instrument/agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन् प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dual (द्विवचन), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया); dvandva ‘by Brahmā and Viṣṇu’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction particle (समुच्चयार्थक निपात) ‘and’

• arcitaḥ: worshipped; honored
• arcitaḥ: Kriyā (क्रियाविशेष्य/participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arc (अर्च् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); passive sense ‘was worshipped’

• śaṃkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (subject of passive predicate ‘arcitaḥ’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• purā: formerly; once
• purā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable temporal adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय) ‘formerly/once’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse alludes to the archetypal moment when Brahmā and Viṣṇu worship Śaṅkara at the site of the wondrous Reality (tad-vastu), resonant with the Liṅgodbhava narrative where the infinite liṅga confounds grasping and turns rivalry into worship.

Significance: General: the episode teaches humility—when grasping fails, worship succeeds—thus converting agitation (kolāhala) into devotion.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Mythic theophany: the ‘wondrous Reality’ that cannot be seized, prompting divine worship (a concealment-to-revelation arc).

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Brahma
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It shows that the Supreme Reality (Śiva as Pati) is not an object to be possessed by egoic grasping; when even cosmic powers contend, the resolution comes through reverent worship and recognition of Śaṅkara as the highest Lord.

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

The verse points to the moment when the ineffable Reality becomes approachable through worship—Saguna devotion directed to Śaṅkara (often through the Linga) becomes the means by which Brahmā and Viṣṇu relate rightly to the Supreme.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt humility and worship: perform Linga-arcana with the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), offering water and flowers, and contemplate that Śiva is the Supreme Pati beyond grasping, yet reachable through bhakti.