Shloka 15

नन्दिकेशावतारवर्णनम् (Nandikeśa Avatāra Varṇanam) — “Account of the Descent/Origin of Nandikeśvara”

Devanagari script

अहं च विष्णुर्भगवान्द्रुहिणश्च महामुने । अयोनिजं मृत्युहीनं पुत्रं दातुं न शक्नुमः

Transliteration

ahaṃ ca viṣṇurbhagavāndruhiṇaśca mahāmune | ayonijaṃ mṛtyuhīnaṃ putraṃ dātuṃ na śaknumaḥ

Translation

ఓ మహామునీ, నేను గానీ, భగవాన్ విష్ణువు గానీ, ద్రుహిణుడు (బ్రహ్మ) గానీ—అయోనిజుడూ మృత్యురహితుడూ అయిన పుత్రుని దానమివ్వలేము.

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); pronoun (सर्वनाम)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• viṣṇuḥ: Vishnu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject; coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता/subject; apposition to viṣṇuḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• druhiṇaḥ: Druhiṇa (Brahmā)
• druhiṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject; coordinated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: druhiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन/8), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय (महान् मुनिः)

• ayonijam: unbegotten, not womb-born
• ayonijam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + yonija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); नञ्-तत्पुरुष (अ-योनिज)

• mṛtyuhīnam: deathless
• mṛtyuhīnam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛtyu + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); अभावार्थ-तत्पुरुष (मृत्यु-रहित)

• putram: a son
• putram: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• dātum: to give
• dātum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Tumun-anta infinitive (तुमुन्/infinitive), ‘to give’ (दातुम्)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), negation particle (निषेध)

• śaknumaḥ: we are able
• śaknumaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Brahma (Druhiṇa)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadashiva

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahma

FAQs

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

The verse establishes a Shaiva Siddhānta hierarchy: created deities operate within māyā and karma, while Śiva as Pati alone transcends birth and death. Therefore, truly “deathless” grace is not a product of creation but a gift of the Supreme.

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

The Liṅga signifies Śiva’s reality beyond form and limitation; worship of Saguna Śiva through the Liṅga leads the devotee toward the deathless, unborn principle (Nirguna) that Brahmā and Viṣṇu cannot manufacture as a worldly boon.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is steadfast Śiva-upāsanā—especially japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotion—seeking Śiva’s grace for liberation rather than demanding impossible worldly boons.