Shloka 1

उपलेपनादिकथनम्

Vastraputa-jala, Ahimsa, and Conduct in Shiva Worship

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे उपलेपनादिकथनं नाम सप्तसप्ततितमो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच वस्त्रपूतेन तोयेन कार्यं चैवोपलेपनम् शिवक्षेत्रे मुनिश्रेष्ठा नान्यथा सिद्धिरिष्यते

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge upalepanādikathanaṃ nāma saptasaptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca vastrapūtena toyena kāryaṃ caivopalepanam śivakṣetre muniśreṣṭhā nānyathā siddhiriṣyate

Translation

So beginnt im Śrī Liṅga-Mahāpurāṇa, im Pūrva-bhāga, das achtundsiebzigste Kapitel mit dem Titel „Darlegung über Upalepana (ritueller Verputz/Bestreichung) und verwandte Riten“. Sūta sprach: „O ihr Besten der Weisen, im heiligen Bereich Śivas soll das Upalepana nur mit Wasser vollzogen werden, das durch ein Tuch gefiltert und so gereinigt ist; auf andere Weise wird die erstrebte Siddhi nicht bestätigt.“

Word by Word

• iti: thus

• śrī-liṅga-mahāpurāṇe: in the venerable Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa

• pūrva-bhāge: in the earlier section

• upalepana-ādika-thananam: the narration/instruction of plastering and allied rites

• nāma: named

• saptasaptatitamaḥ adhyāyaḥ: the seventy-eighth chapter

• sūta uvāca: Sūta said

• vastra-pūtena: purified/strained by cloth

• toyena: with water

• kāryam: should be done/ought to be performed

• ca eva: indeed/only

• upalepanam: plastering/anointing/ritual smearing (of the worship space)

• śiva-kṣetre: in Śiva’s sacred field/holy place

• muni-śreṣṭhāḥ: O best among sages

• na anyathā: not otherwise

• siddhiḥ: accomplishment/spiritual fruition

• iṣyate: is accepted/considered valid.

Speaker

Suta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Suta
• Sages of Naimisharanya

FAQs

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

It establishes ritual śuddhi (purity) as essential for liṅga-pūjā in a Śiva-kṣetra, stating that even the water used for upalepana must be cloth-filtered for the rite to yield siddhi.

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

By declaring a “Śiva-kṣetra” where right method alone bears fruit, the verse implies Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who grants siddhi according to dharma and disciplined observance, not merely by casual action.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A puja-vidhi detail: upalepana (ritual plastering/smearing of the worship space) using vastra-pūta (cloth-filtered) water—an external discipline that supports inner purity aligned with Pāśupata-oriented worship.