Shloka 87

गजाननपूजा तथा औपासन-होमविधिः

Worship of Gajānana and the Procedure of Aupāsana-Homa

Devanagari script

हस्तं निधाय शिरसि शिष्यस्य स गुरुर्वदेत् । त्रिवारं प्रणवं दक्षकर्णे ऋष्यादिसंयुतम्

Transliteration

hastaṃ nidhāya śirasi śiṣyasya sa gururvadet | trivāraṃ praṇavaṃ dakṣakarṇe ṛṣyādisaṃyutam

Translation

Placing his hand upon the disciple’s head, the Guru should instruct him. Then, into the disciple’s right ear, he should utter the Praṇava (Oṃ) three times, together with the proper adjuncts such as the Ṛṣi and the other traditional preliminaries.

Word by Word

• hastam: hand
• hastam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc, 2nd), Ekavacana

• nidhāya: having placed
• nidhāya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dhā (धा) + ni- (उपसर्ग) (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त), gerund; ‘having placed’

• śirasi: on the head
• śirasi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Saptamī (Loc, 7th), Ekavacana

• śiṣyasya: of the disciple
• śiṣyasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (Gen, 6th), Ekavacana

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Ekavacana; sarvanāma

• guruḥ: the teacher
• guruḥ: Karta (कर्ता/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Ekavacana

• vadet: should say
• vadet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (वद्) (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ-lakāra (Optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• tri-vāram: thrice
• tri-vāram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + vāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva used adverbially; ‘three times’

• praṇavam: the praṇava (Oṃ)
• praṇavam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc, 2nd), Ekavacana

• dakṣa-karṇe: in the right ear
• dakṣa-karṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī (Loc, 7th), Ekavacana; karmadhāraya ‘right ear’

• ṛṣi-ādi-saṃyutam: accompanied by the ṛṣi etc. (ancillaries)
• ṛṣi-ādi-saṃyutam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त, √yuj युज् sam-)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc, 2nd), Ekavacana agreeing with praṇavam; kta-participle ‘joined/associated’; tatpuruṣa: ‘ṛṣyādi’ = ‘ṛṣi etc.’

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Kailāsa-saṃhitā teaching on mantra-dīkṣā and upadeśa)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Frames dīkṣā/upadeśa as the primary ‘tīrtha’—approach to Śiva through the living guru; merit accrues through right initiation and disciplined practice rather than mere travel.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: oṃ (praṇava) — trivāraṃ (three times), ṛṣyādi-saṃyutam (with ṛṣi, chandas, devatā, etc.)

Type: gayatri

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It establishes that mantra is not merely recited but transmitted through a living Guru, with grace (anugraha) symbolized by the hand on the head, and with precise tradition (ṛṣyādi-nyāsa/saṅkalpa) so the disciple becomes fit for Shaiva sādhanā leading toward liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Praṇava upadeśa sanctifies the disciple’s inner worship so that external Linga-pūjā becomes inwardly grounded; in Shaiva practice, the mantra links the devotee to Saguna Shiva in worship while pointing to Shiva as the supreme, transcendent Pati realized through disciplined japa and contemplation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A formal initiation-style instruction: the Guru places a hand on the disciple’s head and whispers Oṃ into the right ear three times with the required preliminaries; the takeaway is to undertake regular mantra-japa with correct procedure and reverence to the Guru-paramparā.