Shloka 159

बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्

Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause

Devanagari script

शिवभक्तो वसेन्नित्यं शिवलिंगं समाश्रितः । स्थाणुलिंगाश्रयेणैव स्थाणुर्भवति भूसुराः

Transliteration

śivabhakto vasennityaṃ śivaliṃgaṃ samāśritaḥ | sthāṇuliṃgāśrayeṇaiva sthāṇurbhavati bhūsurāḥ

Translation

હે ભૂસુરો! શિવભક્તે નિત્ય શિવલિંગનો આશ્રય લઈને નિવાસ કરવો જોઈએ. માત્ર સ્થાણુલિંગના આશ્રયથી તે સ્થિર—સ્થાણુ સમાન—થઈ જાય છે.

Word by Word

• शिव: Śiva
• शिव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; (भक्तः इत्यस्य सम्बन्धे पूर्वपद)

• भक्तः: devotee
• भक्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (शिवभक्तः = शिवस्य भक्तः)

• वसेत्: should dwell
• वसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kala (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative: always)

• शिव: Śiva
• शिव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; (लिङ्गम् इत्यस्य सम्बन्धे पूर्वपद)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• समाश्रितः: having taken refuge (in)
• समाश्रितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आ+श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे ‘having taken refuge’

• स्थाणु: Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• स्थाणु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; (लिङ्ग-आश्रयेण इत्यस्य सम्बन्धे पूर्वपद)

• लिङ्ग: liṅga
• लिङ्ग: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; (आश्रयेण इत्यस्य सम्बन्धे पूर्वपद)

• आश्रयेण: by resort/refuge
• आश्रयेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय

• स्थाणुः: Sthāṇu (Śiva)
• स्थाणुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भूसुराः: O brāhmaṇas
• भूसुराः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूसुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे/उक्तिसम्बन्धे (O brāhmaṇas)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: The verse’s ‘śivaliṅga-āśraya’ resonates with Kāśī’s Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha ideal: taking refuge in the liṅga grants steadfastness and liberation; Kāśī is famed as the place where Śiva bestows the tāraka-upadeśa at death.

Significance: Liṅga-āśraya (refuge in the emblem of Śiva) is presented as a stabilizing sādhanā: it makes the devotee ‘sthāṇu’—firm in dharma and bhakti, oriented toward mokṣa.

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Linga

FAQs

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

It teaches that steady refuge (śaraṇāgati) in the Śiva-liṅga makes the devotee inwardly stable and unwavering, reflecting Śiva as Sthāṇu—the ever-steadfast Lord—thus supporting liberation-oriented bhakti.

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

The liṅga functions as Śiva’s accessible saguna support for worship and contemplation; by abiding with the liṅga as one’s spiritual refuge, devotion becomes continuous and concentrated, leading the mind toward Śiva’s transcendent reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular liṅga-sevā—daily presence at the liṅga with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady meditation on Śiva as Sthāṇu—cultivating unwavering remembrance.