Shloka 23

वंशानुवर्णनम् — सात्वतवंशः, स्यमन्तक-प्रसङ्गः, कृष्णावतारः, शिवप्रसादः (पाशुपतयोगः)

Devanagari script

वर्षत्रयं प्रतिदिनं गामेकां ब्राह्मणाय तु यदि दद्यास्ततः कुक्षेर् निर्गमिष्याम्यहं पितः

Transliteration

varṣatrayaṃ pratidinaṃ gāmekāṃ brāhmaṇāya tu yadi dadyāstataḥ kukṣer nirgamiṣyāmyahaṃ pitaḥ

Translation

„Vater, wenn du drei Jahre lang jeden Tag einem Brāhmaṇa eine Kuh gibst, dann werde ich aus dem Schoß hervorgehen können, o Vater.“

Word by Word

• वर्षत्रयम्: for three years

• प्रतिदिनम्: every day

• गाम्: a cow

• एकाम्: one

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a brāhmaṇa

• तु: indeed

• यदि: if

• दद्याः: you would give

• ततः: then/thereupon

• कुक्षेः: from the womb/belly

• निर्गमिष्यामि: I shall come out/emerge

• अहम्: I

• पितः: O father

Speaker

Unborn child (speaking to the father within the narrative), as recounted by Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Brahmana

FAQs

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

It links dharmic charity (especially go-dana) with inner purification, presenting dana as a supporting limb to Shiva-bhakti—reducing pasha (bondage) and making life conducive to devotion and auspicious outcomes.

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

Indirectly, it reflects Shiva-tattva as the moral-ritual order that uplifts the pashu (individual soul): by righteous acts done in a spirit aligned to Pati (the Lord), obstacles are loosened and grace-bearing conditions arise.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Go-dana (gifting cows) to brāhmaṇas as a high-merit dana; while not a direct Pāśupata-yogic technique, it functions as karma-śuddhi (purification of action) that supports Shiva-upāsanā and spiritual progress.