Shloka 5

ऋषभचरित्रवर्णनम् (Ṛṣabha-caritra-varṇanam) — “Account of Ṛṣabha’s Sacred Narrative”

Devanagari script

युगप्रवृत्त्या च तदा तस्मिंश्च प्रथमे युगे । द्वापरे प्रथमे ब्रह्मन्यदा व्यासः स्वयंप्रभुः

Transliteration

yugapravṛttyā ca tadā tasmiṃśca prathame yuge | dvāpare prathame brahmanyadā vyāsaḥ svayaṃprabhuḥ

Translation

യുഗപ്രവൃത്തി ആരംഭിച്ചപ്പോൾ ആ ആദ്യയുഗത്തിൽ; പിന്നെയും ഹേ ബ്രഹ്മൻ! ദ്വാപരയുഗത്തിന്റെ ആരംഭത്തിലും, സ്വയംപ്രഭുവായ വ്യാസൻ തന്റെ ദിവ്യശക്തിയാൽ പ്രത്യക്ഷനായി.

Word by Word

• yuga-pravṛttyā: by/with the commencement of the age
• yuga-pravṛttyā: Hetu/Karaṇa (हेतु/करण/instrument-cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + pravṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; समास: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) ‘युगस्य प्रवृत्तिः’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of time

• tasmin: in that (time/age)
• tasmin: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; pronoun

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction

• prathame: in the first
• prathame: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; ordinal adjective agreeing with ‘yuge’

• yuge: age (yuga)
• yuge: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• dvāpare: in the Dvāpara (yuga)
• dvāpare: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; yuga-name used locatively

• prathame: in the first (part)
• prathame: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; ordinal adjective (context: ‘prathame (pāde/parte)’ or ‘prathame (dvāpare)’ as reading)

• brahman: O Brahman (sage)
• brahman: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular; address to sage/Brāhmaṇa

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), temporal relative adverb

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• svayam-prabhuḥ: the self-supreme (lord)
• svayam-prabhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayam (अव्यय) + prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समास: अव्ययीभाव ‘स्वयम् प्रभुः’ = self-luminous/independent lord

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Yuga-pravṛtti; appearance of Vyāsa at Dvāpara’s beginning (a yuga-sandhi function for preserving/ordering dharma and śāstra)

Characters & Entities

• Vyasa

FAQs

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

It highlights that at pivotal transitions of time (Yuga beginnings), divine guidance arises through enlightened seers like Vyāsa, ensuring dharma and Shaiva truth remain accessible for seekers.

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

By indicating the periodic manifestation of Vyāsa, the verse implies the preservation and transmission of Shaiva agama-purāṇic teachings that support Saguna Shiva worship—especially the Linga as a stable focus for devotion across changing ages.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is disciplined scriptural recitation and remembrance: study/listen to Shaiva narratives and uphold daily Shiva-japa (e.g., Panchakshara) as a time-tested support when dharma declines in later Yugas.