Shloka 30

गुरुत्व-परम्परा-शौचविधि-प्रश्नः

Questions on Guruhood, Lineage, and Purificatory Discipline

Devanagari script

आधारशक्तिमारभ्य यजनोक्तविधानतः । पञ्चावरणमार्गेण देवमावाह्य पूजयेत्

Transliteration

ādhāraśaktimārabhya yajanoktavidhānataḥ | pañcāvaraṇamārgeṇa devamāvāhya pūjayet

Translation

Beginning with Ādhāra-Śakti, the sustaining divine power, and following the ritual procedure enjoined for worship, one should invoke the Lord and adore Him by the method of the five enclosures (pañcāvaraṇa).

Word by Word

• ādhāra-śaktim: the Ādhāra-śakti (supporting power)
• ādhāra-śaktim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādhāra (प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष-समासः

• ārabhya: beginning from
• ārabhya: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√rabh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), “starting from”; avyaya-kṛdanta (अव्ययभाव)

• yajana-ukta-vidhānataḥ: according to the procedure stated for the ritual
• yajana-ukta-vidhānataḥ: Hetu (हेतु/according to)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yajana (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त, √vac क्त) + vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablatival adverb (तसिल्-अर्थे पञ्चमी), “according to the procedure stated in the sacrifice/ritual”; multi-member तत्पुरुष

• pañca-āvaraṇa-mārgeṇa: by the path of the five enclosures (pañcāvaraṇa)
• pañca-āvaraṇa-mārgeṇa: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष-समासः (पञ्चावरणस्य मार्गः)

• devam: the deity
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ā-vāhya: having invoked
• ā-vāhya: Kriya (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√vah (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), “having invoked/caused to come”; avyaya-kṛdanta (अव्ययभाव)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: Optative/vidhi-lin (विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: creative

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that devotion to Śiva becomes steady and fruitful when performed with inner order and outer discipline—invoking the Lord and honoring Him through a structured worship (pañcāvaraṇa), aligning the devotee (paśu) toward the Lord (Pati) by removing bonds (pāśa) through right practice.

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

The instruction to “invoke the Lord” (āvāhya) directly supports saguna-upāsanā—Śiva worshipped as present and approachable in the Liṅga or in the consecrated seat of worship—so the devotee can offer reverence through prescribed enclosures and attendants of the deity.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests a formal pūjā sequence: begin from the foundational śakti, perform āvāhana (invocation), and worship through five concentric enclosures (pañcāvaraṇa) as per ritual injunctions—often paired in practice with mantra-japa (e.g., the Panchākṣarī) and focused visualization of Śiva’s presence.