Shloka 53

Vyāsotpatti-kathana

Account of the Birth/Origin of Vyāsa

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा लिंगानि सर्वाणि विश्वेशप्रमुखानि च । स्नात्वा सर्वेषु कुण्डेषु वापीकूपसरस्सु च

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā liṃgāni sarvāṇi viśveśapramukhāni ca | snātvā sarveṣu kuṇḍeṣu vāpīkūpasarassu ca

Translation

Setelah memandang semua Liṅga suci—bermula dari Viśveśa—serta mandi di semua kuṇḍa, juga di sumur, baoli, dan danau (seorang bhakta disucikan).

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु); dṛṣṭvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √dṛś; ‘having seen’

• liṅgāni: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• liṅgāni: Karma (कर्म; object of dṛṣṭvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sarvāṇi: all
• sarvāṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; agrees with liṅgāni

• viśveśa-pramukhāni: with Viśveśa as the foremost
• viśveśa-pramukhāni: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśveśa (प्रातिपदिक) + pramukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; agrees with liṅgāni; तत्पुरुष: विश्वेशः प्रमुखः येषाम् / विश्वेशः प्रमुखः (sense: ‘with Viśveśa as foremost’)

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

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु); snātvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √snā; ‘having bathed’

• sarveṣu: in all
• sarveṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण; locus)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural; used substantively with kuṇḍeṣu etc.: ‘in all’

• kuṇḍeṣu: in ponds/tanks
• kuṇḍeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural

• vāpī-kūpa-sarassu: in stepwells, wells, and lakes
• vāpī-kūpa-sarassu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāpī (प्रातिपदिक) + kūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural; द्वन्द्व (समाहार/इतरेतर): ‘in wells, stepwells, and lakes’

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

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: Kāśī is depicted as a dense sacred landscape: many liṅgas ‘beginning with Viśveśa’ and numerous kuṇḍas/wells/lakes for ritual bathing—together forming a network of merit and purification around Viśvanātha.

Significance: Liṅga-darśana and snāna in Kāśī’s tīrthas are presented as comprehensive śuddhi and bhakti-caryā, orienting the devotee toward Śiva’s grace and liberation.

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishveshvara

FAQs

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

It highlights purification through Śiva-centered pilgrimage: Liṅga-darśana and tīrtha-snāna cleanse impurities and prepare the seeker for Śiva’s grace (anugraha), supporting the Shaiva Siddhanta ideal of moving from bondage toward liberation.

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

By stressing “seeing the Liṅgas,” it affirms Saguna worship—approaching Śiva through consecrated forms like the Liṅga (including Viśveśvara)—as a direct, embodied means to cultivate devotion, reverence, and inner purity.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing) combined with Liṅga-darśana; a practical takeaway is to bathe with remembrance of Śiva and then perform Liṅga worship with mantra (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya), keeping the mind steady in devotion.