Shloka 41

Śiva–Arjuna Yuddha and the Subjugation of Pride (Śiva-parīkṣā)

Devanagari script

इत्यष्टाशीत्यवताराः । इति श्रीशिवमहापुराणे तृतीयायां शतरुद्रसंहितायां किरातेश्वरावतारवर्णनं नामैकचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

ityaṣṭāśītyavatārāḥ | iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe tṛtīyāyāṃ śatarudrasaṃhitāyāṃ kirāteśvarāvatāravarṇanaṃ nāmaikacatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Demikianlah dihuraikan lapan puluh lapan avatāra (penzahiran) Dewa Śiva. Di sini berakhir bab keempat puluh satu dalam Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, kitab ketiga, Śatarudra Saṃhitā, bertajuk “Huraian Avatāra Kirāṭeśvara”.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyopasaṃhāra (वाक्योपसंहार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (Indeclinable/अव्यय), Iti-śabda (quotative/इति-प्रयोग)

• aṣṭāśīti-avatārāḥ: the eighty-eight incarnations
• aṣṭāśīti-avatārāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭāśīti (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + avatāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvigu-samāsa (द्विगु), Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyopasaṃhāra (वाक्योपसंहार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (Indeclinable/अव्यय), Iti-śabda (quotative/इति-प्रयोग)

• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: in the Śrī Śiva Mahāpurāṇa
• śrī-śiva-mahā-purāṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष; honorific title), Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tṛtīyāyām: in the third
• tṛtīyāyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); ordinal adjective qualifying saṃhitāyām

• śatarudra-saṃhitāyām: in the Śatarudra-saṃhitā
• śatarudra-saṃhitāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष), Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• kirāteśvara-avatāra-varṇanam: (the section) ‘Description of the Kirāteśvara incarnation’
• kirāteśvara-avatāra-varṇanam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kirāta (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + avatāra (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष; multi-member), Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• nāma: named/called
• nāma: Saṃjñā-sūcaka (संज्ञासूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: Avyaya (Indeclinable/अव्यय), Nāma-nipāta (appellative particle/नाम-निपात)

• eka-catvāriṃśaḥ: forty-first
• eka-catvāriṃśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + catvāriṃśat (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvigu-samāsa (द्विगु; number compound), Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन); ordinal sense ‘forty-first’

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (traditional Purāṇic colophon concluding the narration to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; this is a colophon concluding the Kirāṭeśvara-avatāra narration and the enumeration of Śiva’s many avatāras.

Significance: Textual śravaṇa/pāṭha of avatāra-kathā is framed as smṛti-sādhana: it strengthens śaraṇāgati to Pati (Śiva) and loosens pāśa (bondage) through right understanding and devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kirateshvara

FAQs

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

It functions as a concluding colophon, affirming that Śiva’s manifestations are many (here counted as eighty-eight) and that the chapter’s purpose is remembrance of His līlā—devotionally contemplating the Lord’s saguna forms as a doorway to grace and liberation.

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

By emphasizing multiple avatāras, it supports saguna-upāsanā—worship of Śiva in accessible forms—while remaining consistent with Liṅga worship as the universal emblem of the same Supreme Pati beyond form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is nāma-smaraṇa and japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—while meditating on Śiva’s chosen form (such as Kirāṭeśvara) to cultivate bhakti and inner steadiness.