Shloka 27

Śiva-Pūjākramaḥ — The Procedural Order of Shiva Worship

Pañcāvaraṇa & Upacāras

Devanagari script

प्रत्येकं मुनिशार्दूलं शिष्यवर्गचतुष्टयम् । वेदाध्ययनसंवृत्तं धर्मस्थापनपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

pratyekaṃ muniśārdūlaṃ śiṣyavargacatuṣṭayam | vedādhyayanasaṃvṛttaṃ dharmasthāpanapūrvakam

Translation

كان لكلِّ حكيمٍ عظيم، يا نمرَ المونِيّين، جماعةٌ من أربعةِ تلاميذَ مُحكَمِي التدريب بدراسةِ الفيدا، وكانت غايتُهم الأسمى إقامةَ الدَّرما وتثبيتها.

Word by Word

• प्रत्येकम्: each
• प्रत्येकम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + एक (अव्ययीभाव-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय, ‘प्रत्येकम्’ = each (adverbial)

• मुनिशार्दूलम्: the tiger among sages (each sage-lord)
• मुनिशार्दूलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास = ‘मुनीनां शार्दूलः’ (tiger among sages); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• शिष्यवर्गचतुष्टयम्: a group of four disciples
• शिष्यवर्गचतुष्टयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य + वर्ग + चतुष्टय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी) = ‘शिष्याणां वर्गः’ + ‘चतुष्टयम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वेदाध्ययनसंवृत्तम्: trained/formed by Vedic study
• वेदाध्ययनसंवृत्तम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + अध्ययन + सम्+वृत् (धातु) → संवृत्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास = ‘वेदाध्ययनेन संवृत्तम्’ (endowed through Vedic study); भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) ‘संवृत्त’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शिष्यवर्गचतुष्टयम्)

• धर्मस्थापनपूर्वकम्: preceded by establishing dharma
• धर्मस्थापनपूर्वकम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + स्थापना + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास = ‘धर्मस्थापनं पूर्वं यस्य’/‘धर्मस्थापन-पूर्वक’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शिष्यवर्गचतुष्टयम्)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; it describes the institutional structure of Vedic-Śaiva learning: each principal sage maintains four disciples trained in Veda for dharma-sthāpana.

Significance: Highlights dharma-sthāpana as a fruit of disciplined study and discipleship; encourages seekers to approach Śaiva teaching through qualified study and service in a guru’s āśrama.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights the Shaiva ideal of preserving sacred knowledge through disciplined discipleship, where learning is not merely intellectual but directed toward dharma—preparing seekers for Shiva’s grace and liberation.

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

By stressing dharma-sthāpana grounded in Vedic study, the verse supports the traditional framework in which Linga worship and Saguna Shiva devotion are practiced correctly—through authorized teaching, right conduct, and purified intention.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied practice is disciplined study (svādhyāya) and living dharma under a guru’s guidance, which in Shaiva practice is commonly paired with daily Shiva-upāsanā such as Panchakshara japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and regular worship routines.