Shloka 24

Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga

Devanagari script

ते भग्नतपसो विप्राः समेत्य वृषभध्वजम् / को भवानिति देवेशं पृच्छन्ति स्म विमोहिताः

Transliteration

te bhagnatapaso viprāḥ sametya vṛṣabhadhvajam / ko bhavāniti deveśaṃ pṛcchanti sma vimohitāḥ

Translation

Aqueles sábios brāhmaṇas, com suas austeridades desfeitas, aproximaram-se do Senhor do estandarte do Touro (Śiva) e, aturdidos, perguntaram ao Soberano dos deuses: “Quem és tu?”

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• भग्न-तपसः: whose austerities were ruined
• भग्न-तपसः: विशेषण (to विप्राः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न (कृदन्त प्रातिपदिक) + तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘भङ्गं प्राप्तानि तपांसि येषाम्’ (whose austerities are broken)

• विप्राः: brahmins/sages
• विप्राः: कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• समेत्य: having approached
• समेत्य: पूर्वकाल (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund) ‘having approached/come together’

• वृषभ-ध्वजम्: the bull-bannered one (Śiva)
• वृषभ-ध्वजम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘वृषभो ध्वजो यस्य’ (he whose banner is the bull)

• कः: who
• कः: प्रश्न-विषय (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• भवान्: you (honored sir)
• भवान्: सम्बोधनार्थ-विषय (Subject of question)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; आदरार्थ सर्वनाम

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्य-चिह्न (Quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative)

• देव-ईशम्: the lord of gods
• देव-ईशम्: कर्म (Karma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानाम् ईशः)

• पृच्छन्ति: they ask
• पृच्छन्ति: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ्/पृच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदी; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• स्म: indeed/then (past marker)
• स्म: काल/वृत्तिसूचक (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: स्म-निपात (particle indicating past/continuative nuance with present)

• विमोहिताः: bewildered
• विमोहिताः: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + मुह् (धातु) → विमोहित (कृदन्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (to विप्राः)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, traditionally Sūta/compilation voice) describing the sages’ action

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vṛṣabhadhvaja
• Deveśa
• Vipras (sages)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

By showing even accomplished sages becoming bewildered before the Lord’s form, the verse implies that the Supreme is not grasped by austerity alone; true recognition of the Self/Lord requires right knowledge (jñāna) and divine disclosure beyond mere external practice.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds tapas (austerity) and its vulnerability to disruption; in the Kurma Purana’s Yoga-oriented framing (including Pāśupata emphases), it points to the need for steadiness, discernment, and devotion so that practice matures into direct recognition of the Lord.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By addressing Śiva as “Lord of the gods” and centering the quest for divine identity, the verse supports the Purāṇa’s non-sectarian trajectory: the highest reality can be approached through Śiva-centric language while remaining compatible with Vaiṣṇava theology and the broader Shiva–Vishnu unity theme.