Shloka 24

Adhyaya 34: भस्ममहात्म्यं—अग्नीषोमात्मक-शिवतत्त्वं तथा पाशुपतव्रतप्रशंसा

Devanagari script

इमं पाशुपतं ध्यायन् सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् यः पठेच्च शुचिर्भूत्वा श्रद्दधानो जितेन्द्रियः

Transliteration

imaṃ pāśupataṃ dhyāyan sarvapāpapraṇāśanam yaḥ paṭhecca śucirbhūtvā śraddadhāno jitendriyaḥ

Translation

Wer, geläutert, die Sinne bezwungen und voller Glauben, diese Pāśupata-Lehre rezitiert, während er sie betrachtet—den Vernichter aller Sünden—der wird von den Fesseln befreit, die den paśu (die Einzelseele) binden, und zur Gnade Patis, des Herrn Śiva, geführt.

Word by Word

• imam: this

• pāśupatam: Pāśupata (Śiva’s doctrine/observance)

• dhyāyan: meditating (upon)

• sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanam: the destroyer of all sins

• yaḥ: whoever

• paṭhet: recites

• ca: and

• śuciḥ bhūtvā: having become pure

• śraddadhānaḥ: endowed with faith

• jita-indriyaḥ: one who has conquered the senses

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It links Linga-centered Shaiva practice to inner discipline: purity (śauca), faith (śraddhā), and sense-control (jitendriya), declaring that meditative recitation of the Pāśupata teaching removes sin and prepares the worshipper for Śiva’s grace.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the liberating Lord—whose Pāśupata path destroys pāpa and loosens pāśa (bondage), enabling the paśu (individual soul) to move toward purification and liberation through divine grace.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A combined practice of dhyāna (meditation) and pāṭha/japa (devotional recitation) performed with śauca (purity), śraddhā (faith), and indriya-jaya (sense-restraint), characteristic of Pāśupata-oriented discipline.