Shloka 10

नन्दिकेश्वरोत्पत्तिः — Nandikesvara’s Origin, Shiva’s Boons, and the Rise of Sacred Rivers

Devanagari script

न दृष्टमेवमाश्चर्यम् आयुर्वर्षादतः परम् इत्युक्तवति विप्रेन्द्रः शिलादः पुत्रवत्सलः

Transliteration

na dṛṣṭamevamāścaryam āyurvarṣādataḥ param ityuktavati viprendraḥ śilādaḥ putravatsalaḥ

Translation

“ഇങ്ങനെയൊരു അത്ഭുതം ഞാൻ ഒരിക്കലും കണ്ടിട്ടില്ല—ആയുസ്സ് ചില വർഷങ്ങൾക്കു മാത്രം, അതിനപ്പുറം ഇല്ലെന്ന്!” എന്ന് പറയപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ, പുത്രവാത്സല്യത്തിൽ മുങ്ങിയ ബ്രാഹ്മണശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ ശിലാദൻ വ്യാകുലനായി।

Word by Word

• na: not

• dṛṣṭam: seen/experienced

• evam: thus/in this manner

• āścaryam: wonder/marvel

• āyuḥ: lifespan

• varṣāt: from/limited by years

• ataḥ param: beyond this/no further

• iti: thus

• uktavati: when it was said/when she/they spoke

• vipra-indraḥ: chief among Brahmins

• śilādaḥ: Śilāda (the sage)

• putra-vatsalaḥ: affectionate toward his son/son-loving

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the episode of Śilāda within the Linga Purana’s Purva-Bhaga)

Characters & Entities

• Shilada

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames the human condition as bound by finite āyus (lifespan), setting up the need for Śiva’s anugraha (grace) accessed through Linga-upāsanā to loosen pasha (bondage) and move the pashu (soul) toward liberation under Pati (Śiva).

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By highlighting the shock of mortality’s limit, the narrative implicitly points to Śiva-tattva as that which is not limited by time (kāla) or measure—Pati who can overrule karmic finitude through grace, a key Shaiva Siddhānta theme.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse itself is narrative, but it signals the turn toward Śaiva sādhanā—especially Linga-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented discipline—undertaken to transcend the bondage of time and death.