Shloka 7

Adhyaya 84: शिवव्रतकथनम्

Uma–Maheshvara Vrata, Shula-dana, and Month-wise Ekabhakta Vrata

Devanagari script

वर्षमेकं न भुञ्जति कन्या वा विधवापि वा वर्षान्ते प्रतिमां कृत्वा पूर्वोक्तविधिना ततः

Transliteration

varṣamekaṃ na bhuñjati kanyā vā vidhavāpi vā varṣānte pratimāṃ kṛtvā pūrvoktavidhinā tataḥ

Translation

Ein Mädchen — oder auch eine Witwe — soll ein volles Jahr lang das Gelübde maßvollen Essens halten; und am Ende des Jahres, nachdem sie ein heiliges Bild gefertigt hat, soll sie sodann das Ritual nach der zuvor gelehrten Vorschrift vollziehen und es in Bhakti dem Pati, Śiva, darbringen, damit das pāśa (Band) gelockert werde, das den paśu (die Einzelseele) bindet.

Word by Word

• वर्षम् (varṣam): for a year

• एकम् (ekam): one

• न (na): not

• भुञ्जति (bhuñjati): eats/partakes (enjoys food/consumption)

• कन्या (kanyā): maiden/unmarried girl

• वा (vā): or

• विधवा (vidhavā): widow

• अपि (api): even/also

• वा (vā): or

• वर्षान्ते (varṣānte): at the end of the year

• प्रतिमाम् (pratimām): an image/icon

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā): having made

• पूर्वोक्तविधिना (pūrvokta-vidhinā): by the previously stated method

• ततः (tataḥ): then/thereafter

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It links a year-long vow (vrata) with the concluding act of making and ritually offering an icon (pratimā) by the prescribed Shiva-puja method, presenting disciplined devotion as a means to please Pati (Śiva) and support auspicious merit connected to Linga-centered worship.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the Lord who receives worship and grants the fruit of the rite—capable of reducing pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul) when approached through regulated conduct and correct ritual procedure.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A vrata of restrained consumption for one year, culminating in pratimā-karaṇa (making an icon) and performing the previously taught puja-vidhi—an applied discipline aligned with Pāśupata-oriented purification through observance and offering (dāna).