Shloka 22

Devanagari script

किंनामगोत्रा कस्येयं किंवीर्या चापि कर्मतः तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा देवदेवो वृषध्वजः

Transliteration

kiṃnāmagotrā kasyeyaṃ kiṃvīryā cāpi karmataḥ tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā devadevo vṛṣadhvajaḥ

Translation

“ఆమె పేరు, గోత్రం ఏమిటి? ఆమె ఎవరిది? ఆమె పరాక్రమం ఏమిటి, కర్మలు ఏమిటి?” ఈ మాటలు విని వృషధ్వజ దేవదేవ శివుడు ప్రత్యుత్తరం పలికెను।

Word by Word

• kim: what?

• nāma: name

• gotrā: lineage/clan

• kasya: of whom/to whom

• iyam: this (woman)

• kim-vīryā: of what power/valor

• ca api: and also

• karmataḥ: by deeds/according to actions

• tasya: of him/of that one

• tad-vacanam: those words/speech

• śrutvā: having heard

• deva-devaḥ: God of gods

• vṛṣa-dhvajaḥ: the Bull-bannered (Śiva)

Speaker

Suta (outer narration), reporting Shiva (Vṛṣadhvaja) reacting within the inner dialogue

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It shows Śiva’s dharmic discernment: beings are understood by nāma, gotra, vīrya, and especially karma—an emphasis that Linga-pūjā is not mere formality but must align the pashu (soul) toward purity of action and intention under Pati (Śiva).

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva appears as Deva-deva and Vṛṣadhvaja—sovereign and all-knowing—yet he engages the world through orderly inquiry, revealing that Shiva-tattva governs through dharma and karmic truth while remaining the supreme Pati beyond bondage.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key takeaway is karmataḥ—assessment by deeds—supporting a Pāśupata-oriented ethic where pūjā, vrata, and yoga are validated by transformed conduct, not only by external observance.