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Shloka 118

Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga

चरितानि विचित्राणि गुह्यानि गहनानि च / ब्रह्मादीनां च सर्वेषां दुर्विज्ञेयो ऽसि शङ्कर

caritāni vicitrāṇi guhyāni gahanāni ca / brahmādīnāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ durvijñeyo 'si śaṅkara

Những hành trạng của Ngài thật kỳ diệu—bí mật và thẳm sâu khó dò; ngay cả Brahmā và hết thảy chư thiên cũng khó thấu hiểu Ngài, ôi Śaṅkara.

caritānideeds; exploits
caritāni:
Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootcarita (प्रातिपदिक; √car धातु + क्त)
FormNeuter; Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)
vicitrāṇiwonderful; varied
vicitrāṇi:
Viśeṣaṇa/Qualifier (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootvicitra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter; Nominative, Plural; agrees with caritāni
guhyānisecret
guhyāni:
Viśeṣaṇa/Qualifier (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootguhya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter; Nominative, Plural; agrees with caritāni
gahanānideep; inscrutable
gahanāni:
Viśeṣaṇa/Qualifier (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootgahana (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter; Nominative, Plural; agrees with caritāni
caand
ca:
Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya, conjunction
brahmādīnāmof Brahmā and others
brahmādīnām:
Sambandha/Reference (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootbrahma (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine; Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘brahmādayaḥ’ = Brahmā and others
caand
ca:
Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya, conjunction
sarveṣāmof all
sarveṣām:
Sambandha/Reference (सम्बन्ध)
TypeAdjective
Rootsarva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine/Neuter; Genitive (6th), Plural; agrees with brahmādīnām (all of them)
durvijñeyaḥhard to know
durvijñeyaḥ:
Pradhāna-predicative (समानााधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootdur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + vijñeya (प्रातिपदिक; √jñā धातु + यत्)
FormMasculine; Nominative (1st), Singular; karmadhāraya: ‘difficult-to-be-known’
asiyou are
asi:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootas (धातु)
FormLaṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular; parasmaipada
śaṅkaraO Śaṅkara
śaṅkara:
Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootśaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine; Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular

A devotee/sage addressing Lord Śiva (Śaṅkara) in praise within the Kurma Purana’s Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis context

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

S
Shankara
B
Brahma

FAQs

By stressing that Śaṅkara is “difficult to know” even for Brahmā and the gods, the verse points to Īśvara as transcending ordinary cognition—known not merely by intellect but through inner realization grounded in dharma, yoga, and devotion.

No single technique is named, but the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s yogic stance (often framed in Pāśupata/Śaiva devotion): the deepest truths about Īśvara are accessed through disciplined sādhana—restraint, contemplation, and devotion—rather than through conceptual knowledge alone.

By portraying Śiva as an incomprehensible, supreme reality, the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian theology where the highest Īśvara is one—revered as Śiva and also harmonized with Vaiṣṇava understandings of the Supreme.