Shloka 21

व्यपोहनस्तवनिरूपण-प्रसङ्गे नक्तभोजन-शिवव्रतविधिः (वार्षिक-प्रतिमास-क्रमः)

Devanagari script

सोपवासं चतुर्दश्यां भवेदुभयपक्षयोः रुद्राय पौर्णमास्यां तु दद्याद्वै घृतकम्बलम्

Transliteration

sopavāsaṃ caturdaśyāṃ bhavedubhayapakṣayoḥ rudrāya paurṇamāsyāṃ tu dadyādvai ghṛtakambalam

Translation

Am vierzehnten Mondtag beider Monatshälften soll man das Gelübde durch Fasten halten; und am Vollmondtag soll man Rudra wahrlich eine wollene Decke darbringen, mit Ghee bestrichen. Dieses dāna reinigt den paśu (gebundene Seele) und fördert die Verehrung Śivas, die unter der Gnade des Pati (des Herrn) zur Lösung aus der pāśa (Fessel) führt.

Word by Word

• sa-upavāsam: together with fasting

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth (tithi)

• bhavet: should be/should be done

• ubhaya-pakṣayoḥ: in both fortnights (bright and dark)

• rudrāya: unto Rudra (Shiva)

• paurṇamāsyām: on the full-moon day

• tu: and/indeed

• dadyāt: should give/offer

• vai: certainly

• ghṛta-kambalam: a blanket/shawl (kambala) with ghee (ghṛta), i.e., ghee-anointed woollen covering

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It links Linga-centered Shaiva discipline to concrete observances—fasting on both Chaturdashis and dana on Purnima—showing that devotion is expressed through vrata (self-restraint) and charitable offering to Rudra as part of Shiva-puja.

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

Shiva is addressed as Rudra, the Pati who receives offerings and grants purification; the verse implies that grace is approached through regulated conduct that loosens pasha (bondage) upon the pashu (individual soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A vrata practice: upavasa (fasting) on the 14th tithi of both pakshas, coupled with dana on Purnima—supporting the Shaiva path where discipline and offering function as auxiliaries to inner purification aligned with Pashupata-oriented worship.