Shloka 117

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

Devanagari script

वामदेव महेशान देवदेव त्रिलोचन / क्षम्यतां यत्कृतं मोहात् त्वमेव शरणं हि नः

Transliteration

vāmadeva maheśāna devadeva trilocana / kṣamyatāṃ yatkṛtaṃ mohāt tvameva śaraṇaṃ hi naḥ

Translation

वामदेव महेशान देवदेव त्रिलोचन। क्षम्यतां यत्कृतं मोहात् त्वमेव शरणं हि नः॥

Word by Word

• vāmadeva: O Vāmadeva
• vāmadeva: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmadeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग); Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• maheśāna: O Maheśāna
• maheśāna: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular

• devadeva: O god of gods
• devadeva: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘devānāṃ devaḥ’

• trilocana: O three-eyed one
• trilocana: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri-locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘trīṇi locanāni yasya’ (as bahuvrīhi sense, but form used as epithet)

• kṣamyatām: may it be forgiven
• kṣamyatām: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṣam (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्, imperative/benedictive request), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Ātmanepada passive/impersonal usage: ‘let it be forgiven’

• yat: whatever (that)
• yat: Karma/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun (सर्वनाम); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; correlates with ‘tat’ implied

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Karma/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative Singular; ‘done’

• mohāt: from delusion
• mohāt: Hetu/Cause (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: moha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• eva: alone; indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, emphatic particle (निश्चय/अवधारण)

• śaraṇam: refuge
• śaraṇam: Pradhāna-predicative (विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter; Nominative (1st), Singular; predicate nominative

• hi: indeed; for
• hi: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (emphasis/causal nuance)

• naḥ: of us; our
• naḥ: Sambandha/Possessor (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Devotees/supplicants addressing Lord Śiva (a congregational voice within the narrative frame of the Kurma Purana)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vamadeva
• Maheshana
• Shiva (Trilocana)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By declaring Śiva as the sole refuge beyond delusion (moha), the verse points to the Supreme as the stable ground of being—one approaches the Highest by turning from ignorance toward the Lord who is the inner support of all.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes śaraṇāgati (surrender) and kṣamā-prārthanā (seeking forgiveness), both central preparatory disciplines for inner purification—supporting Pāśupata-style devotion and self-correction that steady the mind for dhyāna.

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

Within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, taking Śiva as the ultimate refuge aligns with the text’s broader non-sectarian theology where Śiva and Viṣṇu are honored as manifestations of one supreme reality, approached through sincere surrender.