Shloka 20

ययातिना पूरौ राज्याभिषेकः, दिक्प्रदानं, तृष्णा-वैराग्योपदेशः, वनप्रवेशः च

Devanagari script

यदा न निन्देन्न द्वेष्टि ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा या दुस्त्यजा दुर्मतिभिर् यानजीर्यति जीर्यतः

Transliteration

yadā na nindenna dveṣṭi brahma sampadyate tadā yā dustyajā durmatibhir yānajīryati jīryataḥ

Translation

When one neither slanders nor hates, then one attains the state of Brahman. That inner disposition—hard to abandon for the ill-minded—does not decay even as the body decays.

Word by Word

• yadā: when

• na: not

• nindet (na nindet): should slander/condemn

• na: not

• dveṣṭi: hates

• brahma: Brahman, the supreme reality

• sampadyate: is attained/comes to be realized

• tadā: then

• yā: which/that

• dustyajā: difficult to give up

• durmatibhiḥ: by those of perverse/impure intellect

• yā: which/that

• na: not

• ajīryati: decays/wears away

• jīryataḥ: while (the body) decays/ages

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Linga Purana’s discourse on liberation)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that Linga-puja is fulfilled by inner śuddhi: abandoning slander (nindā) and hatred (dveṣa) purifies the pashu, making the worship fit to receive Shiva’s grace.

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

By linking freedom from hatred to “brahma-sampatti,” it points to Shiva as the non-dual supreme (Pati) realized when pasha-like impurities such as malice and condemnation are dissolved.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A core niyama of Pashupata discipline: restraint of speech and mind—non-slander and non-hatred—as an essential inner limb supporting japa, dhyana, and Linga-upasana.