Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 66

दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship

Devanagari script

इति प्रोक्तं गुणनिधेर्यज्ञदत्तात्मजस्य हि । चरितं शिवसंतोषं शृण्वतां सर्वकामदम्

Transliteration

iti proktaṃ guṇanidheryajñadattātmajasya hi | caritaṃ śivasaṃtoṣaṃ śṛṇvatāṃ sarvakāmadam

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ യജ്ഞദത്തന്റെ പുത്രനായ ഗുണനിധിയുടെ ശിവസന്തോഷകരമായ ചരിതം പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു. ഭക്തിയോടെ ഇത് ശ്രവിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് ഇത് സർവ്വകാമഫലദായകമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākya-sambandha (वाक्यसम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-निर्देशक (quotative particle)

• proktam: said, spoken
• proktam: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate, implied ‘was said’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• guṇanidheḥ: of the treasure of virtues (Guṇanidhi)
• guṇanidheḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (guṇānām nidhiḥ)

• yajñadatta-ātmajasya: of the son of Yajñadatta
• yajñadatta-ātmajasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajñadatta (प्रातिपदिक, proper name) + ātmaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yajñadattasya ātmajaḥ)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Vākya-sambandha (वाक्यसम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• caritam: deed, story, conduct
• caritam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: carita (प्रातिपदिक; √car-आधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• śiva-saṃtoṣam: (bringing) Śiva’s satisfaction
• śiva-saṃtoṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of caritam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃtoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śivasya saṃtoṣaḥ)

• śṛṇvatām: of the listeners
• śṛṇvatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु) → śṛṇvat (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘of those who are listening’

• sarva-kāma-dam: granting all desires
• sarva-kāma-dam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of caritam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + da (√dā/√dam?; प्रातिपदिक ‘द’ as giver)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (sarvān kāmān dadāti iti)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Phala-śruti for the Guṇanidhi narrative: hearing (śravaṇa) of the episode that pleases Śiva grants desired aims—indicating kathā itself as a vehicle of grace.

Significance: Encourages śiva-kathā-śravaṇa in temples/maṭhas: listening is itself a sādhana that generates puṇya, bhakti, and auspicious outcomes (bhoga and, implicitly, śreyas).

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Guṇanidhi
• Yajñadatta

FAQs

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

The verse extols śravaṇa (devotional listening) of Shiva-centered sacred history as a direct means to please Pati (Śiva). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, such Shiva-kathā purifies the pashu (bound soul), loosens pasha (bondage) through grace, and supports both worldly well-being and liberation-oriented devotion.

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

By declaring the narrative “Śiva-saṃtoṣa,” it points to Saguna Shiva worship—approaching Śiva through name, form, and līlā. Hearing and reciting such accounts is treated as an act of upāsanā akin to linga-pūjā, because it fixes the mind on Śiva and invokes His anugraha (grace).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied practice is regular śravaṇa/pāṭha of Shiva Purana kathā with devotion, ideally alongside simple Shaiva aids like japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and a sattvic, attentive listening posture—making the mind steady in remembrance of Śiva.