Shloka 24

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

Devanagari script

अस्तेयं ब्रह्मचर्यं च अलोभस्त्याग एव च व्रतानि पञ्च भिक्षूणाम् अहिंसा परमा त्विह

Transliteration

asteyaṃ brahmacaryaṃ ca alobhastyāga eva ca vratāni pañca bhikṣūṇām ahiṃsā paramā tviha

Translation

For the mendicant devoted to Pati (Lord Śiva) there are five observances: non-stealing, brahmacarya (sacred chastity), non-covetousness, and renunciation; and here ahiṃsā (non-violence) is declared the supreme vow, for it loosens the pāśa-bonds that bind the paśu, the individual soul.

Word by Word

• asteyam: non-stealing

• brahmacaryam: celibacy/chaste conduct

• ca: and

• alobhaḥ: non-greed/non-covetousness

• tyāgaḥ: renunciation/letting-go

• eva: indeed

• ca: and

• vratāni: vows/observances

• pañca: five

• bhikṣūṇām: of mendicants/monks

• ahiṁsā: non-violence

• paramā: highest/supreme

• tu: indeed/but

• iha: here (in this discipline/world).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the dharma-teachings within the Linga Purana framework)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-upāsanā as inseparable from inner purification: the bhikṣu’s vows—especially ahiṁsā—prepare the devotee to approach Śiva (Pati) with a mind free from harm and grasping.

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

Śiva-tattva is implied as Pati, the liberating Lord: when the paśu practices restraint and non-violence, pāśa (bondage) weakens, making the soul fit for Śiva’s grace and union in devotion.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pāśupata-oriented yama-like discipline for mendicants: asteya, brahmacarya, alobha, tyāga, with ahiṁsā upheld as the highest regulating principle for sādhanā.