Shloka 28

पार्वतीवाक्यं—शिवस्य परब्रह्मत्व-निरूपणम्

Pārvatī’s Discourse: Establishing Śiva as Parabrahman

Devanagari script

रे रे दुष्ट त्वया चोक्तमहं जानामि शंकरम् । निश्चयेन न विज्ञातश्शिव एव सनातनः

Transliteration

re re duṣṭa tvayā coktamahaṃ jānāmi śaṃkaram | niścayena na vijñātaśśiva eva sanātanaḥ

Translation

અરે અરે દુષ્ટ! તું કહે છે—‘હું શંકરને જાણું છું’; પરંતુ નિશ્ચયે તું સનાતન શિવને જાણ્યો નથી—એ જ એક સનાતન પ્રભુ છે.

Word by Word

• iti: thus; so
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-प्रयोगः)

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); समासः: श्रीशिवमहापुराण- (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-समाससन्निकर्षः; title-compound)

• dvitīyāyām: in the second (section)
• dvitīyāyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); ordinal adjective used substantively

• rudra-saṃhitāyām: in the Rudra-saṃhitā
• rudra-saṃhitāyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); समासः: रुद्रसंहिता (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• tṛtīye: in the third (part)
• tṛtīye: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); ordinal adjective used substantively

• pārvatī-khaṇḍe: in the Pārvatī-khaṇḍa
• pārvatī-khaṇḍe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक) + khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); समासः: पार्वतीखण्ड (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• pārvatyāḥ: of Pārvatī
• pārvatyāḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• śiva-rūpa-darśanam: the seeing of Śiva’s form
• śiva-rūpa-darśanam: Visheshya (विशेष्य/title-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); समासः: शिवरूपदर्शन (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुष: ‘शिवस्य रूपस्य दर्शनम्’)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya-prayoga (अव्ययप्रयोगः) as title-marker ‘named/called’ (नाम-शब्दः अव्ययीभाववत्)

• aṣṭāviṃśaḥ: twenty-eighth
• aṣṭāviṃśaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭāviṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); ordinal/cardinal compound (द्विगु) qualifying अध्यायः

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

An ascetic/devotee speaking within the Pārvatīkhaṇḍa narrative (as relayed by Sūta Gosvāmin)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It warns against pride in spiritual claims: merely saying “I know Śiva” is not realization. The verse points to Śiva as Sanātana—known through humility, devotion, and inner transformation rather than egoic assertion.

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

Linga-worship trains the mind to move from superficial familiarity with a form (Saguna) to reverent recognition of the formless, eternal Lord (Nirguna) whom the Linga signifies—Śiva beyond mere conceptual ‘knowing’.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt humble japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotion, and approach worship (Linga, bhasma/Tripuṇḍra, Rudrākṣa) as a means to purify ego and cultivate true Śiva-realization.