Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 44

पुष्पार्पण-विनिर्णयः

Determination of Flower-Offerings to Śiva

Devanagari script

शतमष्टोत्तरं तत्र मंत्रे विधिरुदाहृतः । तिलानां च पलं लक्षं महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

śatamaṣṭottaraṃ tatra maṃtre vidhirudāhṛtaḥ | tilānāṃ ca palaṃ lakṣaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

In diesem Zusammenhang wird die vorgeschriebene Regel für das Mantra als hundertacht (108) Rezitationen verkündet. Und ein Sesam‑Opfer—ein Lakh an Palas—wird zum Vernichter der großen Sünden (mahāpātaka).

Word by Word

• śatam: one hundred
• śatam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• aṣṭa-uttaram: plus eight (i.e., 108)
• aṣṭa-uttaram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अष्टौ उत्तरम् = eight more)

• tatra: there/in that context
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• mantre: in the mantra
• mantre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• vidhiḥ: the rule/procedure
• vidhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• udāhṛtaḥ: has been declared
• udāhṛtaḥ: Predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-ā-√hṛ (धा॒तु) → udāhṛta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘has been stated/declared’

• tilānām: of sesame seeds
• tilānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (and)

• palam: a pala (measure)
• palam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; मानवाचक (a weight-measure)

• lakṣam: a lakh (100,000)
• lakṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• mahā-pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of great sins
• mahā-pātaka-nāśanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महापातकानां नाशनम्)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Vaidyanātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha

Sthala Purana: The verse’s theme is pāpa-nāśana through prescribed counts and sesame offering; this resonates with Vaidyanātha’s healing/purifying aspect (vaidya = healer), though the verse itself is not a site-specific māhātmya.

Significance: Frames Śiva worship as therapeutic purification: fixed japa count (108) and large-scale tila offering are said to destroy mahāpātakas, aligning with the idea of Śiva as remover of deep karmic afflictions.

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It establishes a Shaiva discipline where mantra-japa (108 recitations) and a sacred offering (tila) function as purificatory acts, orienting the devotee toward Shiva’s grace that burns karmic impurities, including grave sins.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse supports Saguna Shiva worship through prescribed ritual observances—counted japa and tangible offerings—commonly performed before the Linga, where devotion is expressed in form while seeking inner purification.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform 108 mantra recitations as the stated vidhi, and accompany the worship with a sesame offering (tila-dāna/homa-style offering as context allows) as a traditional means of atonement and cleansing.