Shloka 43
प्रणवमहिमा — The Greatness of the Praṇava (Om) as Śiva
लब्धानुज्ञस्तु गुरुणा द्वादशाहं पयोवती । समुद्रतीरे नद्यां च पर्वते वा शिवालये
labdhānujñastu guruṇā dvādaśāhaṃ payovatī | samudratīre nadyāṃ ca parvate vā śivālaye
Having obtained the guru’s permission, she should observe a twelve-day vow sustained on milk, staying at the seashore, by a river, on a mountain, or in a temple of Lord Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: The verse is vrata-procedural, not a Jyotirliṅga māhātmya; it situates observance in liminal sacred geographies (sea/river/mountain/Śiva-temple) that function as tīrtha-amplifiers for Śiva’s grace.
Significance: Twelve-day milk-vow (payovatī) with guru’s consent emphasizes discipline and purity; staying at tīrthas/Śiva-ālaya is said to intensify merit and readiness for Śiva’s favor.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It emphasizes that Śiva-worship becomes spiritually fruitful when undertaken with the guru’s sanction, disciplined tapas (a regulated vow), and devotion in sacred Śaiva spaces—supporting purification of the paśu (bound soul) and turning it toward Pati (Śiva).
By directing the practitioner to a Śiva-ālayā (Śiva temple), it points to Saguna worship—approaching Śiva through consecrated forms such as the Liṅga and temple presence—where devotion and ritual observance are traditionally performed.
A twelve-day vrata with a milk-only diet, undertaken with the guru’s permission, ideally performed at sacred sites (seashore/river/mountain) or in a Śiva temple, alongside regular Śiva-pūjā and mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).