Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 9

महाकालज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्ये चन्द्रसेन-चिन्तामणि-प्रसङ्गः

Mahākāla Jyotirliṅga Māhātmya: The Episode of King Candrasena and the Cintāmaṇi

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा चिन्तामणिग्रीवं चन्द्रसेनं नृपोत्तमम् । निखिलाः क्षितिराजानस्तृष्णाक्षुब्धहृदोऽभवन्

Transliteration

śrutvā cintāmaṇigrīvaṃ candrasenaṃ nṛpottamam | nikhilāḥ kṣitirājānastṛṣṇākṣubdhahṛdo'bhavan

Translation

闻听首领之王旃陀罗舍那，即著名的“宝珠领者”，大地上的众王皆内心动荡，贪欲在心中翻腾。

Word by Word

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/अव्ययकृदन्त)

• cintāmaṇi-grīvam: one whose neck bears the cintāmaṇi
• cintāmaṇi-grīvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cintāmaṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + grīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य ग्रीवायां चिन्तामणिः सः)

• candrasenam: Candrasena
• candrasenam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candrasena (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• nṛpa-uttamam: the best of kings
• nṛpa-uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारयः (उत्तमः नृपः)

• nikhilāḥ: all, entire
• nikhilāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nikhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kṣiti-rājānaḥ: kings of the earth
• kṣiti-rājānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक) + rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षितेः राजानः = earth-kings)

• tṛṣṇā-kṣubdha-hṛdaḥ: whose hearts were agitated by craving
• tṛṣṇā-kṣubdha-hṛdaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛṣṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣubdha (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); बहुव्रीहिः (येषां हृदयं तृष्णया क्षुब्धम्)

• abhavan: became/were
• abhavan: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Active voice (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara

Sthala Purana: The Mahākāla setting frames a moral contrast: one king’s Śiva-śaraṇa yields steadiness, while other rulers, hearing of the jewel-throated king, fall into tṛṣṇā—bondage that veils discernment.

Significance: The episode is read as a warning: pilgrimage and proximity to Mahākāla should transmute desire into devotion; otherwise tirodhāna (veiling) persists as craving.

Characters & Entities

• Candrasena

FAQs

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

The verse highlights how worldly “tṛṣṇā” (craving for status, wealth, or dominion) disturbs the heart, implying that true steadiness arises when the mind turns from envy to Shiva-bhakti and dharma.

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

In Kotirudra contexts, royal fame and power often become tests that expose jealousy; the corrective is devotion to Saguna Shiva through Linga-worship, which purifies ambition into reverence and surrender to Pati (Lord Shiva).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to counter craving with japa of the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and disciplined worship—offering water to the Linga and cultivating inner calm rather than rivalry.