Shloka 28

Pitṛbhakti and Śrāddha: The Classification of Pitṛs and the Superiority of Pitṛ-kārya

Devanagari script

पूर्वजातिषु यो धर्मः श्रुतो गुरुकुलेषु वै । तथैव चास्थिता बुद्धौ संसारेऽप्य निवर्तने

Transliteration

pūrvajātiṣu yo dharmaḥ śruto gurukuleṣu vai | tathaiva cāsthitā buddhau saṃsāre'pya nivartane

Translation

ທຳທີ່ໄດ້ຟັງແລະຮຽນໃນຊາດກ່ອນ ໃນສຳນັກຄູອາຈານ ຍັງຕັ້ງຢູ່ໃນປັນຍາດັ່ງເກົ່າ; ແມ່ນແຕ່ຢູ່ໃນສັງສານ ກໍບໍ່ຖອຍກັບ ແຕ່ຍັງນຳພາໃຫ້ກ້າວໜ້າ.

Word by Word

पूर्व-जातिषुin previous births

यःwhich/that

धर्मःdharma

श्रुतःheard/learned

गुरु-कुलेषुin the teachers' households

वैindeed

तथाthus

एवjust/indeed

चand

आस्थिताremained/was established

बुद्धौin the mind/intellect

संसारेin worldly existence

अपिeven/also

अनिवर्तनेin non-returning (state)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s philosophical teaching as preserved in the Umāsaṃhitā)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

FAQs

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

It teaches that śāstric learning and lived dharma become saṃskāras that persist across births, stabilizing the buddhi and steadily turning the seeker toward liberation even while living in saṃsāra—an idea aligned with Shaiva Siddhanta’s emphasis on purification and maturation of the soul (paśu) toward Pati (Shiva).

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

Regular Linga worship and Saguna Shiva devotion create enduring spiritual impressions (saṃskāras). The verse explains why sincere practice does not get ‘lost’—it remains rooted in the intellect and resurfaces as faith, discipline, and attraction to Shiva’s worship in this or future lives.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Consistent daily practice that forms lasting saṃskāra—such as japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma), and Rudrāksha dhāraṇa—so dharma becomes firmly established in buddhi and does not retreat amid worldly pressures.