Shloka 21

Praṇava-Māhātmya and the Twofold Mantra (Sūkṣma–Sthūla) in Śaiva Sādhanā

Devanagari script

गंधादीनांक्रमेणैवनवकोटिजपेणवै । अहंकारस्य च पुनर्नव कोटिजपेन वै

Transliteration

gaṃdhādīnāṃkrameṇaivanavakoṭijapeṇavai | ahaṃkārasya ca punarnava koṭijapena vai

Translation

Para los principios sutiles que comienzan con el olfato y los demás, en el debido orden, debe realizarse japa en la medida de nueve koṭis; y de nuevo, para el principio de la egoidad (ahaṅkāra), igualmente debe hacerse japa en la medida de nueve koṭis.

Word by Word

• gandha-ādīnām: of smell and the rest
• gandha-ādīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन) — ‘गन्धादीनाम्’ = of smell etc.

• krameṇa: in sequence
• krameṇa: Prakāra (प्रकार/Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन) used adverbially (क्रमेण = in order/gradually)

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

• nava-koṭi-japena: by a repetition of nine crores (of times)
• nava-koṭi-japena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन) — dvigu: numeral + koṭi + japa; ‘by japa of nine crores’

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• ahaṃkārasya: of ego-sense (ahaṃkāra)
• ahaṃkārasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• punar: again/further
• punar: Prakāra (प्रकार/Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (पुनरित्यादि अव्यय)

• nava: nine
• nava: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Numeral)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (Used as numeral adjective) — here as first member of compound with koṭi-japena

• koṭi-japena: by (a) crore-count repetition
• koṭi-japena: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन) — ‘कोटीनां जपः’/‘koṭi-japa’

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

Speaker

Lord Shiva (teaching the discipline of mantra-japa and inner purification)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that liberation-oriented japa should be paired with inner purification: the aspirant systematically transcends sense-tendencies (tanmātras like smell, etc.) and finally tackles ahaṅkāra, the core bond (pāśa) that veils the soul from Shiva (Pati).

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

In Vidyeśvara teachings, japa is commonly anchored in Saguna Shiva worship—especially the Linga—so the mind becomes one-pointed; as japa ripens, the devotee’s identification with sensory objects and ego thins, allowing steadier contemplation of Shiva beyond limiting attributes.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A disciplined regimen of mantra-japa (often understood as the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) performed in graded stages, with deliberate introspection to relinquish sensory fixation and egoity; it supports Mahāśivarātri and daily Linga-upāsanā as a sustained sādhana.