Shloka 2

Kṣetra–Kāla–Phala-kramaḥ

Hierarchy of Sacred Place, Time, and Ritual Fruit

Devanagari script

ततो दशगुणं गोष्ठं जलतीरं ततो दश । ततो दशगुणं बिल्वतुलस्यश्वत्थमूलकम्

Transliteration

tato daśaguṇaṃ goṣṭhaṃ jalatīraṃ tato daśa | tato daśaguṇaṃ bilvatulasyaśvatthamūlakam

Translation

En comparación con ello, el culto realizado en un establo de vacas otorga diez veces el mérito; en la ribera de un río, diez veces más que eso. Y aún más: el culto al pie de un árbol de bilva, de una planta de tulasī o de un aśvattha (higuera sagrada) concede un mérito diez veces superior incluso a aquel.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• daśa-guṇam: tenfold
• daśa-guṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘tenfold’ (दशगुण) used adjectivally

• goṣṭham: cow-pen/cowshed
• goṣṭham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: goṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• jala-tīram: riverbank/waterside
• jala-tīram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + tīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘water-bank/riverbank’ (जलतीर)

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Pramāṇa (प्रमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral (संख्या), indeclinable-like usage; here ‘ten (times)’ as measure

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• daśa-guṇam: tenfold
• daśa-guṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa ‘tenfold’ (दशगुण) used adjectivally

• bilva-tulasī-aśvattha-mūlakam: (a set of) bilva, tulasī and aśvattha roots
• bilva-tulasī-aśvattha-mūlakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + tulasī (प्रातिपदिक) + aśvattha (प्रातिपदिक) + mūlaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); samāhāra-dvandva (समाहार-द्वन्द्व) ‘a collection of bilva, tulasī, aśvattha roots’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Ranks sacred settings by multiplied merit: goṣṭha (cow-shed), jalatīra (riverbank), and especially sacred trees—highlighting place-based supports for worship that purify the bound soul.

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that while devotion is primary, certain sāttvika locations (near life-sustaining water, among protected cattle, and beneath sacred trees) intensify the mind’s purity and thereby multiply the spiritual fruit of Shiva worship.

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

It supports Saguna Shiva worship through the Shiva-linga by recommending auspicious settings for pūjā; such environments aid concentration, reverence, and bhakti, making linga-upāsanā more inwardly effective.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform Shiva-linga pūjā or japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) at a riverbank or near bilva/tulasī/aśvattha roots, offering bilva leaves when available and maintaining a clean, calm, sāttvika atmosphere.