Shloka 168

अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य — काशी-वाराणसी में मोक्ष, लिङ्ग-तीर्थ-मानचित्र, और उपासना-विधि

Devanagari script

पूजयेन्मां सदा भक्त्या मया सार्धं हि मोदते श्रीशैले संत्यजेद् देहं ब्राह्मणो दग्धकिल्बिषः

Transliteration

pūjayenmāṃ sadā bhaktyā mayā sārdhaṃ hi modate śrīśaile saṃtyajed dehaṃ brāhmaṇo dagdhakilbiṣaḥ

Translation

Wer Mich stets mit Bhakti verehrt, freut sich wahrhaft mit Mir. Und ein Brāhmaṇa, der in Śrīśaila den Leib ablegt, dessen Verfehlungen verbrannt sind, erlangt jenen seligen Zustand.

Word by Word

• पूजयेत् (pūjayet): should worship

• मां (mām): Me (Śiva, the Pati)

• सदा (sadā): always

• भक्त्या (bhaktyā): with devotion

• मया (mayā): with Me

• सार्धं (sārdham): together

• हि (hi): indeed

• मोदते (modate): rejoices, delights

• श्रीशैले (śrīśaile): at Śrīśaila (sacred Śaiva kṣetra)

• संत्यजेत् (saṃtyajet): should abandon, relinquish

• देहं (dehaṃ): the body

• ब्राह्मणः (brāhmaṇaḥ): a brāhmaṇa

• दग्धकिल्बिषः (dagdha-kilbiṣaḥ): whose sins/impurities are burnt (karmic faults consumed).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Śiva’s kṣetra-māhātmya to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Śrīśaila

FAQs

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

It states that sustained Śiva-pūjā performed with bhakti yields direct communion—“rejoicing with Śiva”—and that worship connected to the Śrīśaila kṣetra burns karmic faults (kilbiṣa), supporting liberation-oriented Linga worship.

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

Śiva is presented as Pati, the Lord who grants intimate proximity and bliss to the pashu (individual soul) when devotion removes pāśa (bondage); union is expressed as sharing in Śiva’s own joy rather than merely receiving worldly boons.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Regular Śiva-pūjā with unwavering bhakti is emphasized; the verse also highlights kṣetra-sevā (holy-site observance at Śrīśaila), where devotion and sacred geography together function as a purifier that burns demerit.