Shloka 18

Aghora-Mantra Japa: Graded Expiations, Pañcagavya Purification, and Homa for Mahāpātaka-Nivṛtti

Devanagari script

कृत्वा च गुरुतल्पं च पापकृद्ब्राह्मणो यदि रुद्रगायत्रिया ग्राह्यं गोमूत्रं कापिलं द्विजाः

Transliteration

kṛtvā ca gurutalpaṃ ca pāpakṛdbrāhmaṇo yadi rudragāyatriyā grāhyaṃ gomūtraṃ kāpilaṃ dvijāḥ

Translation

O twice-born ones, if a Brahmin—having become a doer of sin—commits the grave offence of violating the teacher’s bed (gurutaḷpa), then, taking the Rudra-Gāyatrī as the purifying mantra, he should partake of the urine of a tawny Kapilā cow as expiation. By the mantra-power of Rudra, the paśu (bound soul) turns back from pāśa (impurity and demerit) toward Pati, the Lord Śiva.

Word by Word

• कृत्वा: having done/committed

• च: and

• गुरुतल्पम्: the गुरु’s bed (a grave transgression)

• च: and

• पापकृत्: doer of sin

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin

• यदि: if

• रुद्रगायत्रिया: by/with the Rudra-Gāyatrī (mantra)

• ग्राह्यम्: to be taken/accepted (as a remedy)

• गोमूत्रम्: cow’s urine

• कापिलम्: of a tawny/brown cow (Kapilā)

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating prāyaścitta instructions within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra
• Brahmin
• Guru

FAQs

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

It frames Śiva-mantra (Rudra-Gāyatrī) as a purifier that restores ritual and spiritual eligibility, implying that approach to the Liṅga requires cleansing of pāśa (impurity) through Śaiva means.

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

Śiva appears as Pati—the supreme purifier—whose mantra is efficacious even for severe transgression, showing Shiva-tattva as grace-bearing and transformative for the paśu bound by pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A prāyaścitta combining mantra-japa (Rudra-Gāyatrī) with a prescribed purificatory intake (Kapilā cow’s urine), reflecting Śaiva ritual purification aligned with Pāśupata-style reliance on Rudra-mantra.