Shloka 5

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

Vibhrāja-vana

Devanagari script

तपः कर्तुं समारेभे यत्र ते सहचारिणः । स वै तत्र निराहारो वायुभक्षो महातपाः

Transliteration

tapaḥ kartuṃ samārebhe yatra te sahacāriṇaḥ | sa vai tatra nirāhāro vāyubhakṣo mahātapāḥ

Translation

その仲間たちのいるその地で、彼は苦行を始めた。まさにその場所において、大苦行者は食を断ち、ただ風（気）を糧として住した。

Word by Word

• tapaḥ: austerity/penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka; Dvitīyā (Accusative/2nd), Eka-vacana; object of 'samārebhe' with infinitive

• kartum: to do/perform
• kartum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्)

• samārebhe: began/undertook
• samārebhe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-rabh (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्, Perfect); Ātmanepada; Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Eka-vacana

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; relative adverb (सम्बन्धबोधक)

• te: they/those
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma; Puṃliṅga; Prathamā (Nominative/1st), Bahu-vacana (plural)

• saha-cāriṇaḥ: companions
• saha-cāriṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saha (अव्यय) + cārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva: 'saha cāriṇaḥ' = companions; Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Bahu-vacana

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

• vai: indeed
• vai: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निपात)

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

• nir-āhāraḥ: without food
• nir-āhāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir (उपसर्ग) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (नञ्/निर्-प्रत्ययार्थ): 'āhāraḥ na asti' / 'āhāra-rahitaḥ'; Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• vāyu-bhakṣaḥ: living on air
• vāyu-bhakṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa: 'vāyuṃ bhakṣayati' or 'vāyu-bhakṣaṇaḥ' (air-eating); Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

• mahā-tapāḥ: a great ascetic
• mahā-tapāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi: 'mahattapaḥ yasya saḥ' (one whose austerity is great); Puṃliṅga; Prathamā, Eka-vacana

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it introduces a local sacred geography (Kāṃpilya) and a septet of purified mahātmans, a common Purāṇic device for establishing sanctity and lineage.

Significance: Association with birth/lineage of purified sages makes the place a kṣetra for merit (puṇya) and sādhana; supports later kṣetra-māhātmya development.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights tapas as disciplined self-restraint: reducing dependence on sense-pleasures to steady the mind for Shiva-realization, aligning the soul (paśu) toward Pati (Shiva) by loosening bonds (pāśa).

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

Such austerity is presented as inner worship—purifying the devotee so that external Linga-puja becomes concentrated and effective, transforming ritual into one-pointed devotion to Saguna Shiva and leading toward the higher truth of Shiva beyond limitation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A takeaway is disciplined fasting and breath-regulation (prāṇāyāma) as supportive sādhana; paired with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and regular bhasma application, it strengthens vairagya and focus.