Shloka 105

Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ

Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony

Devanagari script

शक्रेण तु पुरा देवो वाराणस्यां जनार्दन । आराधितो<भूद्‌ भक्तेन दिग्वासा भस्मगुण्ठित:

Transliteration

śakreṇa tu purā devo vārāṇasyāṃ janārdana | ārādhito 'bhūd bhaktena digvāsā bhasmaguṇṭhitaḥ ||

Translation

قدیم زمانے میں وارانسی میں شکر نے بھکتی کے ساتھ بھگوان جناردن کی عبادت کی؛ وہ دِگمبر تپسوی کے روپ میں، بدن پر بھسم ملے اور لپٹے ہوئے ظاہر ہوئے۔

Word by Word

• शक्रेण: by Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• पुरा: formerly/once
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• देवः: the god (the Lord)
• देवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• जनार्दन: O Janārdana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• आराधितः: worshipped/propitiated
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + राध्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• अभूत्: was/became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, Singular

• भक्तेन: by a devotee
• भक्तेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दिग्वासाः: sky-clad (naked)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिग्वासस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भस्मगुण्ठितः: smeared/covered with ash
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भस्म + गुण्ठित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

Speaker

वासुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)
• Janārdana (Vāsudeva/Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• Vārāṇasī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True worship is grounded in bhakti and humility; the Divine may appear in austere or unexpected forms, and reverence should not depend on external appearance or rank.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāsudeva recounts an earlier episode: in Vārāṇasī, Śakra (Indra) worshipped Janārdana, who is described as appearing like a sky-clad ascetic covered in sacred ash.