Shloka 26

Viśvānara-Gṛhapati Upākhyāna — Śivasya Agni-gṛhe Avatāraḥ

The Account of Viśvānara Gṛhapati and Śiva’s Descent into the House of Fire

Devanagari script

असकृच्चिन्तयामास किं लिंगं क्षिप्रसिद्धिदम् । यत्र निश्चलतामेति तपस्तनयकाम्यया

Transliteration

asakṛccintayāmāsa kiṃ liṃgaṃ kṣiprasiddhidam | yatra niścalatāmeti tapastanayakāmyayā

Translation

彼は幾度も思い巡らせた。「いかなるシヴァ・リンガが速やかな成就（シッディ）を授けるのか。どのリンガを礼拝すれば、苦行（タパス）によって子を願いつつ、タパスにおいて不動の堅固さを得られるのか」と。

Word by Word

• असकृत्: repeatedly, again and again
• असकृत्: क्रियाविशेषण (Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• चिन्तयामास: he pondered/thought
• चिन्तयामास: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); परस्मैपद

• किम्: what?
• किम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

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

• क्षिप्रसिद्धिदम्: giving quick success
• क्षिप्रसिद्धिदम्: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षिप्र-सिद्धि-द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षिप्रस्य सिद्धिः यस्य/यत् ददाति)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक/देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• निश्चलताम्: steadiness, immobility
• निश्चलताम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चलता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• एति: attains, reaches
• एति: क्रिया (Kriyā)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तपस्: austerity, penance
• तपस्: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तनय: son, offspring
• तनय: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• काम्यया: by (his) desire/wish
• काम्यया: करण/हेतु (Karaṇa/Hetu)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; हेतौ/निमित्ते (by/with the desire)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse is an introspective pivot: the aspirant seeks the particular liṅga that grants kṣipra-siddhi and niścalatā in tapas for putra-kāmanā. No Jyotirliṅga is named yet.

Significance: Highlights the Purāṇic principle that specific sthāna/liṅga-upāsanā yields specific fruits; also that steadiness in tapas is itself a grace-enabled attainment.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Linga

FAQs

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

The verse highlights a seeker’s discernment: choosing Śiva-liṅga worship as a Saguna support that grants quick spiritual progress and steadiness in tapas, aligning desire (for a son) under dharmic devotion to Pati (Śiva).

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

It explicitly treats the liṅga as the accessible form of Śiva through which grace and “kṣipra-siddhi” arise; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such worship stabilizes the mind and channels worldly aims toward Śiva’s anugraha (grace).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is focused liṅga-pūjā alongside disciplined tapas—supported by japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady meditation to cultivate niścalatā (unwavering concentration).