Shloka 3

वैभ्राजवन-प्रसङ्गः / The Episode of Vaibhrāja and the Yogic Forest

Vibhrāja-vana

Devanagari script

स राजांतःपुरवृतो नन्दने मघवा इव । क्रीडित्वा सुचिरं तत्र सभार्य्यस्स्वपुरं ययौ

Transliteration

sa rājāṃtaḥpuravṛto nandane maghavā iva | krīḍitvā suciraṃ tatra sabhāryyassvapuraṃ yayau

Translation

Dikelilingi para wanita istana dalam, sang raja—bagaikan Maghavā (Indra) bersuka ria di Nandana—bermain di sana lama sekali; lalu bersama permaisurinya kembali ke kotanya sendiri.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• rājā: king
• rājā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• antaḥpura-vṛtaḥ: surrounded by his inner-palace retinue
• antaḥpura-vṛtaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antaḥpura (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ/वृ)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तृतीया sense): 'antaḥpureṇa vṛtaḥ' (surrounded by the harem/inner palace retinue); Past passive participle (क्त); Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• nandane: in Nandana (garden)
• nandane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka? commonly Puṃliṅga as garden-name; Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/7th), Eka-vacana

• maghavā: Maghavan (Indra)
• maghavā: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maghavan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• iva: like/as
• iva: Upamādyotaka (उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle of comparison (उपमा-निपात)

• krīḍitvā: having played/sported
• krīḍitvā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: krīḍ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा); indicates prior action (पूर्वक्रिया)

• suciram: for a long time
• suciram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sucira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Used adverbially (क्रियाविशेषणवत्); accusative neuter singular form functioning as adverb

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक)

• sa-bhāryaḥ: with (his) wife
• sa-bhāryaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + bhāryā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva: 'bhāryayā saha' (together with wife); Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• sva-puram: his own city
• sva-puram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी): 'svaṃ puram' (his own city); Napuṃsaka? 'puram' is napuṃsaka; Dvitīyā, Eka-vacana

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्, Perfect); Parasmaipada; Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Eka-vacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Uma Samhita account to the sages)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it functions as narrative setup contrasting royal enjoyment with the later turn toward tapas/renunciation that typically culminates in Śiva’s anugraha.

Significance: Didactic: highlights the transient nature of bhoga (royal pleasure) as a prelude to vairāgya and Śiva-bhakti.

Characters & Entities

• Indra (Maghava)
• Nandana

FAQs

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

The verse highlights royal enjoyment as a passing state—likened to Indra’s heavenly pleasures—implicitly contrasting transient bhoga with the higher Shaiva aim of liberation through devotion to Pati (Shiva) beyond the bonds (pāśa) of sense-delight.

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

By portraying even exalted, ‘heaven-like’ pleasures as temporary, it prepares the listener for the Purana’s central turn toward stable refuge in Saguna Shiva—often approached through Linga worship, vrata, and bhakti that purify attachment.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

No specific rite is stated in this line, but the implied takeaway is to temper indulgence with Shaiva discipline—daily remembrance of Shiva, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and cultivating vairāgya (dispassion).