Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 21

पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow

Devanagari script

एकाम्बरो वल्कली वा भवेद्दण्डी च मेखली । प्रक्षाल्य चरणौ पश्चाद्द्विराचम्यात्मनस्तनुम्

Transliteration

ekāmbaro valkalī vā bhaveddaṇḍī ca mekhalī | prakṣālya caraṇau paścāddvirācamyātmanastanum

Translation

Mit nur einem Gewand — oder in Rinde gekleidet — soll er auch einen Stab (daṇḍa) tragen und einen Gürtel (mekhalā) anlegen. Nachdem er die Füße gewaschen hat, soll er anschließend zweimal ācamana vollziehen und so den eigenen Leib für Śivas Verehrung und die yogische Disziplin reinigen.

Word by Word

• eka-ambaraḥ: wearing a single garment
• eka-ambaraḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi ‘one whose garment is single’

• valkalī: bark-clad
• valkalī: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: valkalin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘wearing bark-garment’

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; disjunctive particle

• bhavet: should be
• bhavet: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• daṇḍī: carrying a staff
• daṇḍī: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daṇḍin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘staff-bearing’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• mekhalī: wearing a girdle
• mekhalī: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mekhalin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ‘girdle-wearing’

• prakṣālya: having washed
• prakṣālya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√kṣāl (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/क्त्वा), avyaya-kriyā; ‘having washed’

• caraṇau: the two feet
• caraṇau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Accusative), Dvivacana (Dual); object of prakṣālya

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘afterwards’

• dviḥ: twice
• dviḥ: Saṅkhyā-kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Numeral adverb/संख्याक्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dviḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; numeral adverb ‘twice’

• ācamya: having performed ācamana (sipped water)
• ācamya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√cam (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), avyaya-kriyā; ‘having sipped (water) for purification’

• ātmanaḥ: of oneself
• ātmanaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; possessive relation to tanum

• tanum: body
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; object (to be cleansed/attended) implied after gerunds

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that external simplicity (single cloth, bark, staff, girdle) must be paired with inner purification (washing the feet and ācamana) so the aspirant becomes fit for Śiva-upāsanā and steadiness in yoga—moving from impurity (pāśa) toward the Lord (Pati).

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

Before approaching the Liṅga (Saguna Śiva as a worshipful form), the devotee prepares with cleanliness and ritual sipping of water, expressing reverence and readiness to offer pure acts, mantras, and attention to Śiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Basic preparatory discipline: simple ascetic attire, washing the feet, and performing ācamana twice as a purificatory step before japa, dhyāna, or Liṅga-pūjā.