Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 106

Devanagari script

स्थिरलिंगश्न यन्नित्यं तस्मात्‌ स्थाणुरिति स्मृत: । ये ऊर्ध्वभागमें स्थित होकर देहधारियोंके प्राणोंका नाश करते हैं। सदा स्थिर रहते हैं और जिनका लिंग-विग्रह सदा स्थिर रहता है। इसलिये ये 'स्थाणु” कहलाते हैं

Transliteration

sthiraliṅgaś ca yan nityaṁ tasmāt sthāṇur iti smṛtaḥ |

Translation

ວາຍຸກ່າວວ່າ: «ເນື່ອງຈາກນິມິດສັນຍາ (liṅga) ຂອງພຣະອົງຢູ່ຢ່າງນິ່ງສະຫງົບ ແລະໝັ້ນຄົງຢູ່ເສມອ ດັ່ງນັ້ນຈຶ່ງຖືກຈື່ຈຳດ້ວຍນາມ ‘ສະຖານຸ (Sthāṇu)’—ຜູ້ໝັ້ນຄົງ»។

Word by Word

• स्थिरलिङ्गः: one whose linga/form is steady
• स्थिरलिङ्गः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिरलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; स्थिर + लिङ्ग)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• नित्यम्: always, constantly
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• स्थाणुः: Sthāṇu (the immovable/steady one; epithet of Śiva)
• स्थाणुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• स्मृतः: is called/remembered as
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive (past participle)

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• स्थाणु (Sthāṇu, epithet of Śiva)
• लिङ्ग (liṅga, emblem)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse explains an epithet of Śiva—‘Sthāṇu’—grounded in the idea of unwavering steadiness: the divine emblem (liṅga) is described as perpetually fixed, symbolizing immovability and constancy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking and provides a traditional derivation/justification for the name ‘Sthāṇu,’ characterizing the deity through the quality of being ever-stable and unmoving.