Shloka 51

Shivamurti–Pratishtha Phala: Shivalaya-Nirmana, Kshetra-Mahatmya, Tirtha-Snana, and Mandala-Vidhi

Devanagari script

घृतस्नानेन चानन्तं शार्करे तच्छताधिकम् शिवक्षेत्रसमीपस्थां नदीं प्राप्यावगाह्य च

Transliteration

ghṛtasnānena cānantaṃ śārkare tacchatādhikam śivakṣetrasamīpasthāṃ nadīṃ prāpyāvagāhya ca

Translation

وبالاغتسال بالسمن المصفّى (غي) يكون الثواب بلا حدّ؛ وبالاغتسال بالسكر يزداد ذلك الثواب مئةً وأكثر. ثم إذا بلغ المرء نهرًا قائمًا قرب كِشْترا شيفا المقدّسة، فليغمر جسده فيه وليغتسل.

Word by Word

• घृत-स्नानेन: by bathing with ghee

• च: and

• अनन्तम्: infinite, unbounded (merit)

• शार्करे: in (a bath using) sugar/sweetness

• तत्: that (merit)

• शत-अधिकम्: a hundred-fold and more

• शिव-क्षेत्र-समीप-स्थाम्: situated near a holy field/temple-region of Śiva

• नदीम्: river

• प्राप्य: having reached

• अवगाह्य: having immersed/bathed

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It links bodily purification (snāna) with proximity to a Śiva-kṣetra, implying that tīrtha-bathing near the Lord’s abode supports eligibility for Liṅga-pūjā and the accrual of puṇya conducive to grace (anugraha) from Pati (Śiva).

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

Śiva is implied as the sanctifying Pati whose kṣetra and nearby waters magnify merit; contact with places connected to Him becomes a means of loosening pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul) through purity and devotion.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A tīrtha-snāna vidhi is highlighted—ritual bathing (including ghee/sweet baths and immersion in a river near a Śiva-kṣetra) as a preparatory discipline supporting Shaiva sādhanā and Pāśupata-style purification.