Shloka 21

Adhyaya 89: शौचाचारलक्षणम् — सदाचार, भैक्ष्यचर्या, प्रायश्चित्त, द्रव्यशुद्धि, आशौच-निर्णय

Devanagari script

दधिभक्षाः पयोभक्षा ये चान्ये जीवक्षीणकाः सर्वे ते भैक्ष्यभक्षस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

dadhibhakṣāḥ payobhakṣā ye cānye jīvakṣīṇakāḥ sarve te bhaikṣyabhakṣasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

Those who live on curd, those who live on milk, and others who practise life-wasting austerities—none is worthy of even a sixteenth part of the merit of one who lives on alms. Such bhikṣā-based restraint best subdues the paśu (bound soul) and loosens the pāśa (bondage) under the grace of Pati, Śiva.

Word by Word

• दधि-भक्षाः: curd-eaters

• पयः-भक्षाः: milk-eaters

• ये च अन्ये: and those others

• जीव-क्षीणकाः: who emaciate/waste the vital life-force

• सर्वे ते: all of them

• भैक्ष्य-भक्षस्य: of the one who eats only alms (mendicant fare)

• कलाम्: a fraction/portion

• न अर्हन्ति: do not deserve/are not equal to

• षोडशीम्: the sixteenth part (1/16).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Purana teachings to the sages; verse presents a doctrinal valuation of bhiksha-vrata within Shaiva discipline)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It elevates inner restraint and non-possessiveness—living on bhikṣā—over dietary austerities, implying that true Linga-bhakti is measured by surrender and purity of conduct rather than mere bodily hardship.

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

By implying that Pati (Śiva) favors disciplines that dissolve ego and attachment, it points to Shiva-tattva as the liberating lord who frees the pashu from pasha through renunciation and right practice rather than self-torture.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhikṣā-vrata (living on alms) as a Shaiva/Pāśupata-aligned discipline—supporting vairāgya, humility, and reduced possessiveness, which are prerequisites for effective sādhana and worship.