Shloka 29

काम-शक्र-संवादः / Dialogue of Kāma and Śakra

Indra

Devanagari script

शृणु काम प्रवक्ष्यामि यथार्थं मित्रसत्तम । यदर्थे च स्पृहा जाता तव चाद्य मनोभव

Transliteration

śṛṇu kāma pravakṣyāmi yathārthaṃ mitrasattama | yadarthe ca spṛhā jātā tava cādya manobhava

Translation

ഹേ കാമാ, ശ്രവിക്ക; ഹേ മിത്രശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് യഥാർത്ഥം പറയും—ഇന്ന് നിനക്കുള്ളിൽ സ്പൃഹ ജനിച്ച ആ വിഷയത്തെക്കുറിച്ച്, ഹേ മനോഭവാ।

Word by Word

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kāma: O Kāma
• kāma: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• pravakṣyāmi: I will tell
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: Future (लृट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• yathā-artham: truly, as it is
• yathā-artham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; indeclinable adverbial compound; ‘according to the truth/meaning’

• mitra-sattama: O best of friends
• mitra-sattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक) + sat-tama (प्रातिपदिक; तमप्)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष ‘best of friends’

• yat-arthe: for which (reason/object)
• yat-arthe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष ‘for which purpose/for which object’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable conjunction (अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थ)

• spṛhā: desire/longing
• spṛhā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: spṛhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• jātā: has arisen
• jātā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); used predicatively ‘has arisen’

• tava: of you/your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable conjunction (अव्यय)

• adya: today/now
• adya: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb of time (अव्यय; कालवाचक)

• mano-bhava: O Manobhava (mind-born one)
• mano-bhava: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक) + bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष ‘mind-born’ (epithet of Kāma)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Kama

FAQs

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

The verse frames desire (kāma) as a rising impulse that must be addressed with truth and discernment; in a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such impulses are part of pāśa (bondage) and are to be guided toward dharma and devotion rather than allowed to dominate the mind.

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

By emphasizing ‘yathārtha’ (the reality of the matter), the narrative prepares the listener to subordinate emotion and attraction to right understanding—an attitude central to Saguna Shiva worship, where the mind is steadied through devotion to Shiva’s form (including the Liṅga) instead of being pulled by craving.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is mind-discipline: pause, listen, and seek truth before acting. In Shaiva practice this aligns with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steadying the mind through Shiva-smaraṇa, which cools impulsive desire.