Shloka 42
पुराणविदः महिमा तथा अध्ययन-अध्यापन-दानफलम्
The Glory of the Purāṇa-Knower and the Fruits of Study, Teaching, and Giving
अन्यो न दृष्टस्सुखदो हि मार्गः पुराणमार्गो हि सदा वरिष्ठः । शास्त्रं विना सर्वमिदं न भाति सूर्य्येण हीना इव जीवलोकाः
anyo na dṛṣṭassukhado hi mārgaḥ purāṇamārgo hi sadā variṣṭhaḥ | śāstraṃ vinā sarvamidaṃ na bhāti sūryyeṇa hīnā iva jīvalokāḥ
حقیقی خوشی دینے والا کوئی دوسرا راستہ نظر نہیں آتا؛ پُرانوں کا راستہ ہمیشہ سب سے افضل ہے۔ شاستر کے بغیر یہ سب روشن نہیں ہوتا—جیسے سورج کے بغیر جانداروں کے عالَم۔
Lord Shiva (teaching Umā/Parvati in the Umāsaṃhitā’s philosophical discourse)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse uses the sun metaphor to teach that without śāstra (revealed instruction) the world’s meaning is obscured—an image aligned with tirodhāna (concealment) removed by teaching.
Significance: Frames śāstra-śravaṇa as the ‘light’ that makes dharma and mokṣa intelligible; encourages pilgrimage of learning—seeking instruction from Śiva as guru.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes that lasting happiness and liberation are accessed through the revealed, tradition-tested Purāṇic–Śāstric path under Pati (Shiva); without śāstra, spiritual reality remains unclear, like life without sunlight.
The verse prioritizes śāstra-guided practice: Linga worship and Saguna Shiva devotion bear fruit when performed according to Purāṇic injunctions—right mantra, right attitude (bhakti), and right understanding of Shiva as Pati.
It implies śāstra-based sādhana: regular Shiva-pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and disciplined observance as taught in the Purāṇas, rather than self-invented methods.