Shloka 73

दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः

Devanagari script

पूजयेत् परमात्मानं प्राप्यारण्यं विभावसौ मुनिर्द्वादशवर्षं वा वर्षमात्रम् अथापि वा

Transliteration

pūjayet paramātmānaṃ prāpyāraṇyaṃ vibhāvasau munirdvādaśavarṣaṃ vā varṣamātram athāpi vā

Translation

إذا بلغ الموني الغابة فليعبد «الباراماتمان»—شيفا، پَتي المتعالي على كل شيء—اثنتي عشرة سنة، أو حتى سنةً واحدة.

Word by Word

• पूजयेत्: should worship

• परमात्मानम्: the Supreme Self (Paramatman)

• प्राप्य: having reached/attained

• आरण्यम्: the forest (solitary woodland)

• विभावसौ: in the radiant one / in the blazing (i.e., in Agni

• मुनिः: the sage

• द्वादशवर्षम्: twelve years

• वा: or

• वर्षमात्रम्: only one year

• अथापि: even/at least

• वा: or

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the discipline of Shiva-worship to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Agni

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It emphasizes sustained, vow-based devotion: Shiva (as Paramatman) is to be worshipped with long-term tapas in seclusion, showing that Linga-puja is not merely a momentary rite but a transformative discipline.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By calling him Paramatman, the verse points to Shiva as the supreme Pati—inner Self of all—whose realization dissolves pasha (bondage) and establishes the pashu (individual soul) in liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A forest-based vrata combining puja and tapas over a defined period (one year or twelve), aligned with Pashupata-style discipline: purification, steady worship, and inward contemplation of Shiva as the Supreme Self.