Shloka 12

Bhāratavarṣa–Navabheda-Vyavasthā

The Nine Divisions of Bhāratavarṣa and Its Sacred Geography

Devanagari script

सह्यपादोद्भवा नद्यः कृष्णावेण्यादिकास्तथा । कृतमाला ताम्रपर्णी प्रमुखा मलयोद्भवाः

Transliteration

sahyapādodbhavā nadyaḥ kṛṣṇāveṇyādikāstathā | kṛtamālā tāmraparṇī pramukhā malayodbhavāḥ

Translation

သဟျတောင်မှ ကృష్ణာ၊ ဝေဏီ စသော မြစ်များ ပေါ်ထွန်းလာ၏။ မလယတောင်မှ အထင်ကရ မြစ်များဖြစ်သော ကృతမாலာ နှင့် တာမ္ရပရဏီ တို့ ပေါ်ထွန်းလာ၏။

Word by Word

• सह्य-पाद-उद्भवाः: originating from the Sahya mountain-foot
• सह्य-पाद-उद्भवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सह्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—नद्यः इति विशेष्यस्य

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• कृष्णा-वेणी-आदिकाः: (rivers) such as Kṛṣṇā and Veṇī
• कृष्णा-वेणी-आदिकाः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण/विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक) + वेणी (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; नदी-नामसमूहः

• तथा: and also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/उपपद—“also/and” अर्थे

• कृतमाला: Kṛtamālā (river)
• कृतमाला: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतमाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• ताम्रपर्णी: Tāmraparṇī (river)
• ताम्रपर्णी: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्रपर्णी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• प्रमुखाः: chief, prominent
• प्रमुखाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—(नद्यः)

• मलय-उद्भवाः: originating from the Malaya (mountain)
• मलय-उद्भवाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मलय (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—(नद्यः)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it functions as a sacred-geography (tīrtha/river) catalogue, implying that rivers as purifying currents support pilgrimage and Śiva-bhakti across Bhārata.

Significance: Bathing/drinking/remembering such rivers is framed in Purāṇic idiom as kṣetra-śuddhi and pāpa-kṣaya, enabling eligibility for vrata, dāna, and Śiva-pūjā.

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It maps sacred geography by naming holy rivers born from revered mountains, implying that nature itself becomes a tīrtha (crossing-place) for purification and devotion—supporting the Shaiva view that the Lord’s grace is accessible through sanctified places and disciplined practice.

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

Holy rivers and mountains are traditional supports for Saguna Shiva worship: devotees purify themselves with tīrtha-water before Linga-pūjā, reinforcing external purity as an aid to inner devotion and steady contemplation of Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing) followed by Shiva worship—especially japa of the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and offering water (jala/abhisheka) to the Linga with a purified, focused mind.