Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 43
मन्त्रसिद्ध्यर्थं गुरुपूजा–आज्ञा–पौरश्चर्यविधिः / Guru-Authorization, Offerings, and Puraścaraṇa for Mantra-Siddhi
अंगुष्ठेन विना जप्यं कृतं तदफलं यतः । गृहे जपं समं विद्याद्गोष्ठे शतगुणं विदुः । पुण्यारण्ये तथारामे सहस्रगुणमुच्यते । अयुतं पर्वते पुण्ये नद्यां लक्षमुदाहृतम्
aṃguṣṭhena vinā japyaṃ kṛtaṃ tadaphalaṃ yataḥ | gṛhe japaṃ samaṃ vidyādgoṣṭhe śataguṇaṃ viduḥ | puṇyāraṇye tathārāme sahasraguṇamucyate | ayutaṃ parvate puṇye nadyāṃ lakṣamudāhṛtam
Japa, das ohne den Daumen zum Zählen vollzogen wird, wird fruchtlos. Wisse: Japa im Haus bringt gewöhnliche Frucht; im Kuhstall, so sagt man, wird sie hundertfach. In einem heiligen Wald und ebenso in einem geweihten Hain wird sie tausendfach genannt. Auf einem verdienstvollen Berg wird sie zehntausendfach; und am Ufer eines Flusses oder in seinen Wassern wird sie hunderttausendfach verkündet.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: A japa-phala hierarchy by place (deśa): home, cowshed, sacred forest/grove, holy mountain, river—each multiplying merit; also reiterates thumb necessity.
Significance: General: encourages tīrtha-oriented sādhana and sanctified environments; frames geography as supportive ‘pāśa-kṣaya’ (weakening of bondage) through intensified japa.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It teaches that mantra-japa must be done with proper discipline and method, and that sacred environments amplify the mind’s sattva and devotion—thereby increasing the spiritual efficacy of Shiva-oriented japa.
Linga-worship is commonly accompanied by Panchakshara japa and other Shiva mantras; the verse emphasizes right practice and the power of holy places—temples, riversides, forests, and mountains—where Saguna Shiva worship is traditionally performed with heightened merit.
Perform steady mantra-japa with correct counting using the thumb (as in traditional mālā practice), and prefer sacred settings (rivers, holy groves, mountains) for intensified results—especially in Shiva worship such as Om Namaḥ Śivāya japa.