Shloka 152

उमामहेश्वरव्रतं—पञ्चाक्षरमन्त्रस्य माहात्म्यं, न्यासः, जपविधिः, सदाचारः, विनियोगः

Devanagari script

नखाग्रकेशनिर्धूतस्नानवस्त्रघटोदकम् अश्रीकरं मनुष्याणाम् अशुद्धं संस्पृशेद्यदि

Transliteration

nakhāgrakeśanirdhūtasnānavastraghaṭodakam aśrīkaraṃ manuṣyāṇām aśuddhaṃ saṃspṛśedyadi

Translation

If a person touches what is impure and inauspicious for humans—such as the water shaken off from the tips of nails and hair, or the water from the bathing cloth and the bathing pot—then that contact is to be understood as aśuddha (ritually impure), obstructing the auspiciousness required for Śiva’s worship.

Word by Word

• नखाग्र (nakhāgra): tips of the nails

• केश (keśa): hair

• निर्धूत (nirdhūta): shaken off/washed off

• स्नान (snāna): bathing

• वस्त्र (vastra): cloth/garment

• घटोदकम् (ghaṭodakam): pot-water, water in/from a vessel

• अश्रीकरम् (aśrīkaram): inauspicious, prosperity-destroying

• मनुष्याणाम् (manuṣyāṇām): for human beings

• अशुद्धम् (aśuddham): impure

• संस्पृशेत् (saṃspṛśet): should touch/if one touches

• यदि (yadi): if

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It sets a śauca standard for approaching the Liṅga: contact with discarded bathing water (from nails, hair, cloth, or pot) is treated as aśuddha, since Śiva-pūjā requires auspiciousness and careful handling of sanctified substances.

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

By implication, Śiva as Pati is approached through order (vidhi) and purity: the soul (paśu) bound by impurities (pāśa) must remove external and internal taints; ritual discipline mirrors the deeper purification needed to align with Śiva-tattva.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Ritual śauca: avoiding contact with impure remnants of bathing and maintaining cleanliness around worship materials; as a yogic takeaway, it points to disciplined purification as a prerequisite for Pāśupata-oriented sādhana.