Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 58

सर्‍वेश्वर-परमकारण-निरूपणम् / The Supreme Lord as the Uncaused Cause

Devanagari script

अष्टादश समुद्रस्य द्वीपानश्नन्पुरूरवाः । विलासवशमुर्वश्या यातो दैवेन चोदितः

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśa samudrasya dvīpānaśnanpurūravāḥ | vilāsavaśamurvaśyā yāto daivena coditaḥ

Translation

Didorong oleh takdir, Purūravas mengembara di delapan belas pulau samudra; terikat oleh pesona permainan Urvaśī, ia pun tak berdaya terseret olehnya.

Word by Word

• aṣṭādaśa: eighteen
• aṣṭādaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa + daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral adjective (संख्याविशेषण), used as count; (case/gender/number follows qualified noun) here qualifying dvīpān: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• samudrasya: of the ocean
• samudrasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• dvīpān: islands
• dvīpān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• aśnan: eating/consuming
• aśnan: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/कर्तृसम्बद्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (अश् धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शतृ-प्रत्यय/शतृन्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agreeing with purūravāḥ (intended subject)

• purūravāḥ: Purūravas
• purūravāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purūravas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (proper name)

• vilāsa-vaśam: the sway/control of pleasure (sport)
• vilāsa-vaśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vilāsa + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; (vilāsasya vaśaḥ → vilāsa-vaśaḥ)

• urvaśyā: by Urvaśī
• urvaśyā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: urvaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• yātaḥ: gone
• yātaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; used predicatively with purūravāḥ

• daivena: by fate/divine will
• daivena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

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

• uditaḥ: impelled/urged
• uditaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/कर्तृसम्बद्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + i (इ धातु) / √vad? (contextual: 'prompted' = ud-ita from ud+√i 'to go forth' used as 'arisen/impelled')
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; qualifying purūravāḥ

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The Purūravas–Urvaśī episode is invoked as an exemplum of beings driven by daiva and kāma, wandering across the world; in the chapter’s arc it contrasts worldly roaming with the fixed sanctity of Naimiṣa and the corrective power of sage-dharma.

Significance: Serves as a didactic foil: uncontrolled desire leads to restless saṃsāric movement; turning toward kṣetra, guru, and īśvara-bhakti stabilizes the mind and opens the way to grace.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Lalitā

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Purūravas
• Urvaśī

FAQs

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

It highlights how the jīva (pashu) can be driven by daiva (karmic destiny) and caught in vilāsa (sensual fascination), roaming restlessly; Shaiva teaching points toward turning from such bondage (pāśa) to seek the liberating grace of Pati—Lord Shiva.

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

By showing the instability produced by desire, the verse implicitly contrasts it with the steadiness gained through Saguna Shiva worship—Linga-upāsanā, where the mind is gathered from sense-objects and anchored in Shiva as the refuge beyond change.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is vairāgya supported by japa: repeat the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to restrain the mind from vilāsa; on observance days like Mahāśivarātri, combine japa with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and simple Shiva-pūjā for inner steadiness.