Shloka 31

शिवस्यार्द्धनारीनरावतारवर्णनम्

Description of Shiva’s Ardhanārī-nara Manifestation

Devanagari script

एतदाख्यानमनघं यः पठ्च्छृणुयादपि । स भुक्त्वा सकलान्भोगान्प्रयाति परमां गतिम्

Transliteration

etadākhyānamanaghaṃ yaḥ paṭhcchṛṇuyādapi | sa bhuktvā sakalānbhogānprayāti paramāṃ gatim

Translation

ഹേ പാപരഹിതനേ! ഈ നിർമലമായ ആഖ്യാനം ആരെങ്കിലും പാരായണം ചെയ്യുകയോ കേൾക്കുകയോ ചെയ്താൽ, അവൻ എല്ലാ യുക്തമായ ഭോഗങ്ങളും അനുഭവിച്ച് അവസാനം ശിവകൃപയാൽ പരമഗതി—ഉത്തമ മോക്ഷം—പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• ākhyānam: narrative, account
• ākhyānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• anagham: sinless, faultless
• anagham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anagha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ākhyānam-विशेषण

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• paṭhet: may read
• paṭhet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? actually 3rd person singular (प्रथमपुरुष), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śṛṇuyāt: may hear
• śṛṇuyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि = 'also/even'

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• bhuktvā: having enjoyed
• bhuktvā: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• sakalān: all
• sakalān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; bhogān-विशेषण

• bhogān: enjoyments
• bhogān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• prayāti: goes, attains
• prayāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु) + pra- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• paramām: supreme
• paramām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; gatim-विशेषण

• gatim: state, destination
• gatim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: General purāṇic phala-śruti: recitation/hearing of the ‘stainless narrative’ yields bhoga and culminates in paramā gati (mokṣa), reflecting Śiva’s anugraha bestowed through śravaṇa-kīrtana.

Significance: Establishes śravaṇa/pāṭha as a pilgrimage-in-itself: merit, worldly fulfillment aligned with dharma, and final liberation through Śiva’s grace.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: dhupa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It is a phalaśruti declaring that śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation) of Śiva’s sacred account purify the soul and culminate in paramā gati—supreme liberation under Pati (Lord Śiva), beyond bondage (pāśa).

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

The verse upholds bhakti expressed through hearing and chanting Śiva-kathā; in Shaiva practice this commonly accompanies Saguna worship—such as Linga-pūjā—where devotion, mantra, and narrative remembrance mature into Śiva’s grace leading to mokṣa.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular śravaṇa and pāṭha of the Shiva Purana (especially on Mondays or Mahāśivarātri), ideally alongside japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” with Tripuṇḍra bhasma and Rudrākṣa as supportive observances.