The Shiva Gita or ''Śivagītā'' ( sa, शिवगीता) is an ancient
Hindu scripture
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
philosophical text from
Padma-Purana in the form of dialogue between
Lord Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
and
Shri Rama that took place in
Dandaka Aranya forest in Ramagiri mountain on the banks of
Godavari river. It deals with topics such as
Advaita metaphysics,
Bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
and others
Structure
''Śiva-gītā'' consists of 11 chapters with over 768 verses which deals with topics such as worship of
Siva Lingam,
Advaita metaphysics, Omni-Potence of Śiva-Liṅga,
Bhakti
''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...
,
Significance of OM,
Theophany of Śiva (''śiva-prādurbhāva-ākhya''), forms of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
(''Aṣṭa Mūrtis'') and others
Contents
The Shiva Gita(''Śivagītā'') contains many new themes that are not found in
The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700-Sanskrit prosody, verse Hindu texts, Hindu scripture that is part o ...
, such as worship of
Shiva Lingam
A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional i ...
and the idea that
Śiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
as the ultimate God.
The Īśvara gītā also shows the influence of the 8-fold (ashtanga) yoga of
Patanjali, and of the
pashupata
Pashupata Shaivism (, sa, पाशुपत) is the oldest of the major Shaivite Hindu schools. The mainstream which follows Vedic Pasupata penance are 'Maha Pasupatas' and the schism of 'Lakula Pasupata' of Lakulisa.
There is a debate about ...
sect of
Shaivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
. Several commentaries on this text are available in manuscript form, including one by
vijñānabhikṣu
Vijñānabhikṣu (also spelled ''Vijnanabhikshu'') was a Hindu philosopher from Bihar, variously dated to the 15th or 16th century, known for his commentary on various schools of Hindu philosophy, particularly the Yoga text of Patanjali. His scho ...
, a 16th-century Hindu
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
.
The Īśvara gītā has been translated into English, French and Italian in stand-alone form, and into English as part of a complete translation of
The Kurma Purana.
Primary sources: Sanskrit editions and translations
* Dumont, P.-E. (ed. and tr.) (1934). L’Īśvaragītā: Le Chant de Śiva. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
* Gupta, Anand Swarup (ed.) (1971). The Kūrma Purāṇa. Varanasi: All-India Kashiraj Trust.
* Nicholson, Andrew J. (tr.) (2014). Lord Siva's Song: The Isvara Gita. New York: SUNY Press.
* Piantelli, Mario (ed. and tr.) (1980). Īśvaragītā, o, Poema del Signore. Parma: L. Battei.
* Tagare, G.V. (tr.) (1982). The Kūrma Purāṇa, Part II. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
* Cornerotte Hervé (2022). Ishwara Gita - Le chant du Seigneur Shiva. Allemagne: BOD-Books on Demand
References
External links
;English
', its Philosophy as expounded by ' Surendranath Dasgupta, 1940
;Sanskrit
Sanskrit words and phrases
{{Hinduism-stub