Shloka 21

Adhyaya 84: शिवव्रतकथनम्

Uma–Maheshvara Vrata, Shula-dana, and Month-wise Ekabhakta Vrata

Devanagari script

अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्याम् उपवासरता च सा भवान्या मोदते सार्धं सारूप्यं प्राप्य सुव्रता

Transliteration

aṣṭamyāṃ ca caturdaśyām upavāsaratā ca sā bhavānyā modate sārdhaṃ sārūpyaṃ prāpya suvratā

Translation

بملازمة الصوم في اليوم القمري الثامن والرابع عشر، تفرح تلك المرأة ذات النذر الطاهر—الثابتة على عهدها—مع بهافاني (Bhavānī)، وتنال السارُوبْيَا (sārūpya) أي مشابهة الهيئة، بفضل نعمة الأمّ الإلهية.

Word by Word

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (tithi)

• च: and

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth (tithi)

• उपवास-रता: devoted to fasting

• च: and

• सा: she

• भवान्या: with Bhavānī (Pārvatī)

• मोदते: rejoices/delights

• सार्धम्: together/along with

• सारूप्यम्: sārūpya (attaining similarity of form/divine likeness)

• प्राप्य: having obtained

• सुव्रता: the well-vowed/virtuous (woman)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the vrata-phala within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Bhavani (Parvati)

FAQs

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

It links tithi-based upavāsa (Aṣṭamī and Caturdaśī) with receiving Bhavānī’s grace, implying that disciplined vrata purifies the pashu (soul) and prepares it for closer communion with the Shaiva-Shakti principle that Linga worship embodies.

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

By highlighting rejoicing “together with Bhavānī” and the attainment of sārūpya, the verse points to Shiva-tattva as inseparable from Shakti—Pati’s grace operating through the Divine Mother to loosen pasha (bondage) and elevate the pashu toward divine likeness.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Upavāsa on Aṣṭamī and Caturdaśī is emphasized as a vrata-sādhana: a regulated austerity that supports inner restraint (saṃyama), devotional focus, and eligibility for Shakti’s anugraha (grace), culminating in sārūpya.