Shloka 20

Vṛṣeśākhya-Śivāvatāra and the Initiation of the Kṣīrasāgara-Manthana

Churning of the Milk Ocean

Devanagari script

पीयूषजन्मकाले तु बिन्दवो ये बहिर्गताः । तेभ्यः कान्ता समुद्भूता बह्वयो ह्यद्भुतदर्शनाः

Transliteration

pīyūṣajanmakāle tu bindavo ye bahirgatāḥ | tebhyaḥ kāntā samudbhūtā bahvayo hyadbhutadarśanāḥ

Translation

甘露（アムリタ／ピーユーシャ）が生じたその時、外へとこぼれ出た滴があった。その滴から、見るも不思議なほど輝く多くの乙女たちが生まれ出た。

Word by Word

• pīyūṣa-janma-kāle: at the time of nectar’s arising
• pīyūṣa-janma-kāle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pīyūṣa + janma + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; समास: pīyūṣa-janma-kāla (तत्पुरुष; ‘at the time of the birth of nectar’)

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात)

• bindavaḥ: drops
• bindavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bindu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ye: which
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम), Masculine, Nominative plural

• bahiḥ: outside
• bahiḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• gatāḥ: went out
• gatāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Past active participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative plural; ‘gone/issued forth’ (agreeing with bindavaḥ)

• tebhyaḥ: from them
• tebhyaḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine/Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Plural; ‘from them’

• kāntāḥ: lovely women/maidens
• kāntāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāntā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• samudbhūtāḥ: arose
• samudbhūtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ud-bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त) with prefixes sam+ud, Feminine, Nominative plural; ‘arisen/produced’ (agreeing with kāntāḥ)

• bahvayaḥ: many
• bahvayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative plural; ‘many’ (agreeing with kāntāḥ)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात), emphasis/cause

• adbhuta-darśanāḥ: of wondrous appearance
• adbhuta-darśanāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adbhuta + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative plural; agrees with kāntāḥ; समास: adbhuta-darśana (कर्मधारय; ‘having wondrous appearance’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; describes secondary manifestations (maidens) arising from amṛta-drops—often aligned with apsaras/śaktis as beautifying, enchanting powers of the manifest cosmos.

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Tārā

Role: creative

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Amṛta-utpatti (birth of nectar) during Samudra-manthana

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents creation as an overflow of divine potency: even “drops” associated with amṛta become carriers of manifestation, pointing to Shiva’s supreme lordship (Pati) as the hidden ground from which wondrous forms arise.

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

The verse supports Saguna contemplation: just as radiant forms emerge from subtle essence, devotees approach Shiva through the Linga as a concrete, grace-filled sign of the formless Reality that manifests forms for the devotee’s upliftment.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is dhyāna on Shiva as the source of all auspicious manifestations while chanting the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), optionally with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and rudrākṣa to steady devotion and remembrance.