Shloka 18

महापातकवर्णनम् (Mahāpātaka-varṇanam) — “Description of Great Sins and Their Consequences”

Devanagari script

गुरुपूजामकृत्वैव यश्शास्त्रं श्रोतुमिच्छति । न करोति च शुश्रूषामाज्ञां च भक्तिभावतः

Transliteration

gurupūjāmakṛtvaiva yaśśāstraṃ śrotumicchati | na karoti ca śuśrūṣāmājñāṃ ca bhaktibhāvataḥ

Translation

Ai muốn nghe giáo pháp thiêng mà không trước hết lễ bái Guru; lại không phụng sự tận tâm và không vâng theo lời chỉ dạy của Guru với tinh thần bhakti—người ấy thật sự chưa xứng đáng để đón nhận ân phúc của kinh điển.

Word by Word

• guru-pūjām: worship of the guru
• guru-pūjām: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('of the guru'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• a-kṛtvā: without doing
• a-kṛtvā: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल/absolutive circumstance)
• Type: Verb
• Root: na + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), निषेध-पूर्वक: 'not having done'

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śāstram: scripture; treatise
• śāstram: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śrotum: to hear
• śrotum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), 'to hear'

• icchati: desires
• icchati: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• karoti: does; performs
• karoti: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunctive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• śuśrūṣām: service; attentive attendance
• śuśrūṣām: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuśrūṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ājñām: command; instruction
• ājñām: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunctive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• bhakti-bhāvataḥ: out of devotion; with devotional feeling
• bhakti-bhāvataḥ: Hetu (हेतु/cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष/हेतौ (ablative of cause: 'from/through a devotional attitude'), पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that śāstra bears fruit only when approached through humility—guru-pūjā, guru-sevā, and obedient receptivity—so that knowledge becomes transformative bhakti leading toward Shiva’s grace.

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

In Shaiva practice, correct Linga-worship and mantra-dīkṣā are received through the Guru; without honoring the Guru and following instructions, external worship remains incomplete and does not mature into Shiva-bhakti.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Begin with guru-pūjā and disciplined guru-sevā, then follow the given sādhana—such as japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and prescribed Shiva worship—exactly as instructed.