Shloka 34

Viśvānara-Gṛhapati Upākhyāna — Śivasya Agni-gṛhe Avatāraḥ

The Account of Viśvānara Gṛhapati and Śiva’s Descent into the House of Fire

Devanagari script

पञ्चगव्याशनो मासम्मासञ्चान्द्रायणव्रती । मासं कुशाग्रजलभुग्मासं श्वसनभक्षणः

Transliteration

pañcagavyāśano māsammāsañcāndrāyaṇavratī | māsaṃ kuśāgrajalabhugmāsaṃ śvasanabhakṣaṇaḥ

Translation

For one month he lived on Pañcagavya, the five sacred products of the cow; for another month he observed the Cāndrāyaṇa vow. For one month he subsisted on water taken with the tips of kuśa grass; and for one month he lived only on the air he breathed.

Word by Word

• पञ्चगव्याशनः: one who eats the five cow-products
• पञ्चगव्याशनः: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject—appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च-गव्य-आशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular; (पञ्चगव्यं अश्नाति इति)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: अत्यन्तसंयोग (कालाधिकरण/Duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular (duration)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: अत्यन्तसंयोग (कालाधिकरण/Duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular (duration)

• चान्द्रायणव्रती: an observer of the Cāndrāyaṇa vow
• चान्द्रायणव्रती: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject—appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चान्द्रायण-व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular; (चान्द्रायणं व्रतं यस्य)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: अत्यन्तसंयोग (कालाधिकरण/Duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular (duration)

• कुशाग्रजलभुक्: one who subsists on water (sipped) through the tip of kuśa grass
• कुशाग्रजलभुक्: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject—appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश-अग्र-जल-भुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular; (कुशाग्र-जलम् भुङ्क्ते इति)

• मासम्: for a month
• मासम्: अत्यन्तसंयोग (कालाधिकरण/Duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular (duration)

• श्वसनभक्षणः: one whose ‘food’ is only breathing (living on air)
• श्वसनभक्षणः: कर्ता (कर्ता/Subject—appositional)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वसन-भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular; (श्वसनम् एव भक्षणम्)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents graded austerities that discipline the senses and purify the pashu (bound soul) from pasha (bondage), making the devotee fit for Śiva’s grace (anugraha) and steadiness in worship.

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

Such vratas are supportive disciplines for Saguna Śiva-upāsanā—especially Linga worship—because bodily restraint, purity, and vow-keeping intensify bhakti and concentration, leading the mind toward Śiva as the supreme Pati.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The verse points to vrata-based sādhanā: pañcagavya regimen, Cāndrāyaṇa fasting, minimal-water intake with kuśa, and prāṇa-āhāra (air-only) austerity—ideally paired with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and regular Linga pūjā.