Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 46

Niṣādasya Bhillasya Itihāsaḥ — Śivarātri-vrata-prabhāvaḥ

The Hunter’s Account and the Efficacy of the Śivarātri Observance

Devanagari script

विष्णुभक्तिसमायुक्तः शिवनिन्दां करोति यः । पित्रोः क्षयाहमासाद्य शून्यं चैवाक्रमेदिह

Transliteration

viṣṇubhaktisamāyuktaḥ śivanindāṃ karoti yaḥ | pitroḥ kṣayāhamāsādya śūnyaṃ caivākramediha

Translation

Kẻ nào tuy chuyên tâm sùng kính Viṣṇu mà lại buông lời phỉ báng Śiva—khi sự suy tàn của dòng tộc tổ tiên giáng xuống, người ấy ngay tại đời này bị diệt vong và rơi vào trạng thái trống rỗng (khô cạn tâm linh).

Word by Word

• viṣṇubhaktisamāyuktaḥ: endowed with devotion to Viṣṇu
• viṣṇubhaktisamāyuktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣṇu + bhakti + samāyukta (प्रातिपदिके; samāyukta = कृदन्त/PPP from sam-ā-√yuj ‘युज्’)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom.), Ekavacana; compound: (viṣṇoḥ bhaktiḥ) + (tayā samāyuktaḥ) → ‘endowed with devotion to Viṣṇu’ (multi-member determinative)

• śivanindām: blasphemy of Śiva
• śivanindām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva + nindā (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Strīliṅga (f.), Dvitīyā (Acc.), Ekavacana; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘śivasya nindā’

• karoti: does; commits
• karoti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Prathamā (Nom.), Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• pitroḥ: of (his) two parents
• pitroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (m.), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Dvivacana (dual)

• kṣayāham: destruction + ‘I’ (sandhi/reading issue)
• kṣayāham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya + aham (प्रातिपदिक + सर्वनाम)
• Form: Sandhi form; underlying: kṣayam (m. Acc. sg. of kṣaya) + aham (pronoun ‘I’, Nom. sg.); here ‘kṣayam’ is object of āsādya; ‘aham’ is likely part of a quoted/elliptic expression; text may intend kṣayam āham/aham?

• āsādya: having reached; having met with
• āsādya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + √sad (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), ‘having reached/encountered/attained’

• śūnyam: emptiness; void
• śūnyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūnya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), Dvitīyā (Acc.), Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle/निश्चयार्थक अव्यय

• ākramet: should step into; should enter
• ākramet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + √kram (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण; locus)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb/देशवाचक अव्यय

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga origin; it is a sectarian-ethic injunction: devotion to Viṣṇu is not condemned, but Śiva-nindā is treated as a grave fault producing karmic and social-spiritual collapse (pitṛ-kṣaya, śūnyatā).

Significance: Promotes Hari-Hara harmony and warns that blasphemy (nindā) is spiritually corrosive; encourages respectful plural devotion as conducive to grace.

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It warns that devotion is not validated by sectarian pride: reviling Śiva is a grave aparādha that destroys spiritual merit and results in inner emptiness and worldly ruin, including decline of one’s lineage and support system.

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

Kotirudra Saṃhitā emphasizes reverence for Saguna Śiva as the accessible Lord of grace; insulting Śiva (the very object of Linga-worship and Jyotirliṅga pilgrimage) obstructs blessings, dharma, and the fruit of pilgrimage and worship.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Avoid nindā (blasphemy) and cultivate śiva-bhakti through daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a repentant, non-sectarian attitude; if one has erred, perform prāyaścitta through sincere apology, mantra-japa, and humble worship.