Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 68

द्वितीयतृतीयावरणपूजाक्रमः | The Sequence of the Second and Third Enclosure Worship (Āvaraṇa-pūjā)

Devanagari script

पश्चिमाभिमुखं रौद्रं क्षेत्रपालं समर्चयेत् । पञ्चमावरणं चैव सम्पूज्यानन्तरं बहिः

Transliteration

paścimābhimukhaṃ raudraṃ kṣetrapālaṃ samarcayet | pañcamāvaraṇaṃ caiva sampūjyānantaraṃ bahiḥ

Translation

Nach Westen gewandt soll man den grimmigen Kṣetrapāla, den Hüter des heiligen Bezirks, ordnungsgemäß verehren. Dann, nachdem man die fünfte Umkreis‑Verehrung (āvaraṇa) vollständig vollzogen hat, soll man anschließend in den äußeren Bereich schreiten.

Word by Word

• पश्चिमाभिमुखम्: facing west
• पश्चिमाभिमुखम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (दिक्-सम्बन्ध: पश्चिमं अभिमुखः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• रौद्रम्: fierce/pertaining to Rudra
• रौद्रम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• क्षेत्रपालम्: Kṣetrapāla (guardian of the sacred area)
• क्षेत्रपालम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी: क्षेत्रस्य पालः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• समर्चयेत्: should worship properly
• समर्चयेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; उपसर्ग: सम्

• पञ्चमावरणम्: the fifth enclosure/covering
• पञ्चमावरणम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक) + आवरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (‘पञ्चमं आवरणम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• सम्पूज्य: having worshipped fully
• सम्पूज्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/अव्ययभाव कृदन्त), ‘having worshipped’; उपसर्ग: सम्

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: immediately after)

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Bhairava

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: dhupa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kshetrapala
• Rudra

FAQs

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

It teaches that Shiva-worship is protected and completed through reverence to the kṣetra’s guardian—Kṣetrapāla—so the sādhaka’s devotion proceeds without obstacles, honoring sacred order (dharma) around the Linga.

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

Kṣetrapāla is approached as a fierce, saguna expression aligned with Rudra who safeguards the Linga’s precinct; completing the āvaraṇas frames Linga-pūjā as a structured, consecrated approach to Shiva’s accessible form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It indicates āvaraṇa-pūjā (enclosure/circuit worship) and a specific directional worship—facing west—of the fierce Kṣetrapāla before moving outward, emphasizing disciplined sequencing in Shaiva ritual.