Shloka 58

एकोनविंशतिशिवावतारवर्णनम्

Description of the Nineteen Manifestations/Avatāras of Śiva

Devanagari script

तत्र श्रुतिसमूहानां विधानं ब्रह्मलक्षणम् । भविष्यति तदा कल्पे कृष्णद्वैपायनो यदा

Transliteration

tatra śrutisamūhānāṃ vidhānaṃ brahmalakṣaṇam | bhaviṣyati tadā kalpe kṛṣṇadvaipāyano yadā

Translation

అక్కడ శ్రుతుల సమూహానికి సక్రమమైన విధానం—బ్రహ్మలక్షణంతో కూడినది—ఆ కల్పంలో అప్పుడు ఏర్పడుతుంది; కృష్ణద్వైపాయనుడు (వ్యాసుడు) అవతరించినప్పుడు।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there/in that context
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• श्रुतिसमूहानाम्: of the collections of śruti
• श्रुतिसमूहानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति + समूह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—श्रुतीनां समूहाः

• विधानम्: arrangement, ordinance
• विधानम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मलक्षणम्: having the character of Brahman / Brahma-related
• ब्रह्मलक्षणम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्म + लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—ब्रह्म (वेद/परब्रह्म) इव/सम्बद्धं लक्षणं यस्य (Brahma-charactered)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कल्पे: in the kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• कृष्णद्वैपायनः: Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)
• कृष्णद्वैपायनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण + द्वैपायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—कृष्णः द्वैपायनः (name: Vyāsa)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (relative temporal adverb)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: kalpa reference; appearance of Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa)

Characters & Entities

• Krishna Dvaipayana (Vyasa)
• Brahman

FAQs

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

It affirms that the Śrutis (Vedas), which reveal Brahman, are not random but divinely ordered in time; their proper arrangement supports right knowledge (jñāna) that culminates in liberation, aligned with the Shaiva view that Śiva is the Supreme Reality indicated by the highest Vedic teaching.

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

By grounding practice in Śruti, it implies that Saguna worship—such as Linga-upāsanā—rests on scriptural order and authority; Vedic arrangement clarifies disciplines and meanings that lead from form-based devotion to realization of the Supreme (Brahman/Śiva).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The takeaway is to follow Śruti-aligned sādhana: daily mantra-japa (notably Shaiva mantras like the Panchākṣarī, where taught), and disciplined worship performed according to scriptural injunctions, treating the Veda as the guiding standard for purity and contemplation.