Shloka 42

यक्षेश्वरावतारः (Yakṣeśvara-Avatāra) and the Nīlakaṇṭha Paradigm in the Churning of the Ocean

Devanagari script

य इदं शृणुयाद्भक्त्या श्रावयेद्वा सुधीः पुमान् । सर्वकामानवाप्नोति ततश्च लभते गतिम्

Transliteration

ya idaṃ śṛṇuyādbhaktyā śrāvayedvā sudhīḥ pumān | sarvakāmānavāpnoti tataśca labhate gatim

Translation

Sesiapa yang bijaksana mendengar kisah ini dengan bhakti, atau menyuruhnya dibacakan untuk orang lain, akan memperoleh segala hajat; kemudian dia meraih jalan tertinggi—moksha melalui rahmat Dewa Śiva.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• śṛṇuyāt: should listen
• śṛṇuyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु, धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karaṇa/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• śrāvayet: should cause to hear, should recite to others
• śrāvayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु, धातु) [causative: śrāvaya-]
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ṇijanta (causative)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction/alternative particle (विकल्पार्थक)

• su-dhīḥ: wise (man)
• su-dhīḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: 'sundarā dhīḥ yasya saḥ' (well-intelligent)

• pumān: man
• pumān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarva-kāmān: all desires
• sarva-kāmān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); karmadhāraya: 'sarve kāmāḥ'

• avāpnoti: attains
• avāpnoti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava+√āp (आप्, धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning 'thereafter/from that'

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

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ्, धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• gatim: goal, final state
• gatim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Phalaśruti emphasizing two modes of transmission—śravaṇa (hearing) and śrāvaṇa (causing others to hear)—as meritorious acts that mature into ‘gati’ (the highest end).

Significance: Frames kathā-śravaṇa and pravacana as a pilgrimage of consciousness: the devotee gains sarva-kāma (legitimate aims) and then the highest gati (mokṣa) by Śiva’s grace.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that bhakti-yukta śravaṇa (devotional listening) and śrāvaṇa (enabling others to hear) are powerful Shaiva disciplines that mature desires into dharmic fulfillment and culminate in gati—Śiva’s liberating grace.

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

Hearing and transmitting Śiva’s glories is treated as an act of worship comparable to external pūjā; it turns the mind toward Saguna Śiva (as Linga and forms) and prepares the seeker for the highest realization and release.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Regular śravaṇa and pāṭha of Śiva Purāṇa with devotion—especially reciting aloud for others—supported by simple Shaiva observances like mantra-japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to internalize the teaching.