Shloka 35

चाण्डालीसद्गतिवर्णनम् (Cāṇḍālī-sadgati-varṇanam) — “Account of the Cāṇḍālī’s Attainment of a Good Destiny”

Devanagari script

श्रीगोकर्णे शिवतिथावुपोष्य शिवमस्तके । कृत्वा जागरणं सा हि चक्रे बिल्वार्चनं निशि

Transliteration

śrīgokarṇe śivatithāvupoṣya śivamastake | kṛtvā jāgaraṇaṃ sā hi cakre bilvārcanaṃ niśi

Translation

At holy Gokarṇa, on the sacred tithi dear to Śiva, she observed a fast. Then, keeping vigil through the night at Śiva’s shrine, she performed worship in the night with bilva leaves.

Word by Word

• śrī-gokarṇe: in Śrī-Gokarṇa
• śrī-gokarṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + gokarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; स्थानवाचक (place-name)

• śiva-tithau: on the Śiva tithi (holy lunar day)
• śiva-tithau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + tithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• upoṣya: having fasted
• upoṣya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√vas (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), having fasted

• śiva-mastake: on/at the head (shrine) of Śiva
• śiva-mastake: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + mastaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), having done

• jāgaraṇam: night-vigil
• jāgaraṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• sā: she
• sā: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Avyaya (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis/indeed

• cakre: did/performed
• cakre: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Parasmaipada

• bilva-arcanam: worship with bilva leaves
• bilva-arcanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• niśi: at night
• niśi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Gokarṇa is presented as a powerful Śiva-sthāna where fasting, jāgaraṇa, and bilvārcana on a Śiva-tithi yield extraordinary merit; this is a vrata-centered local sanctity statement rather than a Jyotirliṅga account.

Significance: Emphasizes vrata triad—upavāsa, jāgaraṇa, bilva-arcana—as a direct means to attract Śiva’s prasāda; Gokarṇa is famed for Śiva-bhakti and liṅga worship.

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Gokarna

FAQs

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

It teaches that sincere bhakti expressed through upavāsa (fasting), jāgaraṇa (night-vigil), and bilvārcana (bilva-leaf worship) at a holy Śiva-kṣetra like Gokarṇa purifies the pashu (bound soul) and turns the mind toward Pati (Śiva), supporting the Shaiva Siddhanta path of grace through devotion and disciplined worship.

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

Kotirudra Saṃhitā emphasizes Jyotirliṅga pilgrimage and saguna-upāsanā; here, worship is performed at Śiva’s principal shrine with bilva leaves—an iconic offering to the Liṅga—showing how concrete ritual devotion to Saguna Śiva becomes a doorway to inner purification and eventual realization of Śiva’s transcendence.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Observe a Śiva-tithi fast (upavāsa), keep night vigil (jāgaraṇa) with remembrance of Śiva—ideally japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and offer bilva leaves in reverent archana to the Liṅga, maintaining purity and one-pointed devotion.