Shloka 4

Śravaṇa–Kīrtana–Manana: Definitions and Hierarchy of Śaiva Sādhanā (श्रवणकीर्तनमनन-निरूपणम्)

Devanagari script

इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे प्रथमायां विद्येश्वरसंहितायं साध्यसाधनखण्डे चतुर्थोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe prathamāyāṃ vidyeśvarasaṃhitāyaṃ sādhyasādhanakhaṇḍe caturtho'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

ಇಂತೆ ಶ್ರೀಶಿವಮಹಾಪುರಾಣದ ಪ್ರಥಮ ಭಾಗದ ವಿದ್ಯೇಶ್ವರಸಂಹಿತೆಯ ಸಾಧ್ಯಸಾಧನಖಂಡದ ನಾಲ್ಕನೇ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯವು ಸಮಾಪ್ತಿಯಾಯಿತು.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-निपात)

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन) — title in locative: ‘in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa’

• prathamāyām: in the first
• prathamāyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन) — qualifying saṃhitāyām

• vidyeśvara-saṃhitāyām: in the Vidyeśvara-saṃhitā
• vidyeśvara-saṃhitāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidyeśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन) — ‘विद्येश्वरस्य संहिता’

• sādhya-sādhana-khaṇḍe: in the section on the goal and the means
• sādhya-sādhana-khaṇḍe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhya (प्रातिपदिक) + sādhana (प्रातिपदिक) + khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन) — dvandva ‘sādhya and sādhana’ as prior members + tatpuruṣa with khaṇḍa: ‘(साध्यसाधन)खण्डे’

• caturthaḥ: fourth
• caturthaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन) — ordinal qualifying adhyāyaḥ

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (traditional narrator framing the Purana)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

This is a colophon marking the completion of a chapter, reminding the listener that the teaching is part of a structured Shaiva path—sādhya (the spiritual goal, Shiva-realization) and sādhana (the means such as devotion, mantra, and disciplined worship).

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

By situating the text within the Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā and the Sādhyasādhana Khaṇḍa, it frames the preceding/ensuing instructions as practical means for Saguna Shiva worship—classically including Liṅga-upāsanā, mantra-japa, and devotional observances leading toward Shiva’s grace.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

No single practice is prescribed in this closing line; its placement within Sādhyasādhana Khaṇḍa points the reader toward core Shaiva sādhana such as pañcākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), Liṅga worship, and purity disciplines like bhasma and rudrākṣa where taught in context.