Shloka 71

Sadācāra–Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Prātaḥkṛtya

Right Conduct, Social Typologies, and Morning Purification

Devanagari script

ग्रहीताहिगृहीतस्य दानाद्वै तपसा तथा । पापसंशोधनं कुर्यादन्यथा रौरवं व्रजेत्

Transliteration

grahītāhigṛhītasya dānādvai tapasā tathā | pāpasaṃśodhanaṃ kuryādanyathā rauravaṃ vrajet

Translation

One who has seized what is forbidden, or one who has been seized by a serpent, should cleanse sin through charitable giving (dāna) and also through austerity (tapas); otherwise, he would go to Raurava, a hellish realm.

Word by Word

• grahīta-ahi-gṛhītasya: of one seized by a snake
• grahīta-ahi-gṛhītasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grahīta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त) + ahi (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛhīta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; 'of one seized by a seized serpent' (idiomatically: 'of one bitten/seized by a snake')

• dānāt: from/through donation
• dānāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादानार्थे (from/by means of giving)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), निश्चयार्थक

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करणार्थे (by austerity)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), 'likewise/also'

• pāpa-saṃśodhanam: purification of sin
• pāpa-saṃśodhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃśodhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kuryāt: should do/should perform
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), 'otherwise'

• rauravam: Raurava (hell)
• rauravam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raurava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; नरकनाम

• vrajet: would go
• vrajet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Purana teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Bhīmaśaṃkara

Sthala Purana: The Bhīmaśaṃkara narrative complex associates Śiva’s protection of devotees from fear and violent affliction; the verse’s serpent-seizure motif resonates with Śiva as Paśupati who subdues fear and restores dharma through expiation.

Significance: Pilgrimage and dharmic expiation (dāna, tapas) are framed as remedies for pāpa and fear; approaching Śiva as Paśupati transforms bondage-born terror into disciplined purification.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse emphasizes śuddhi (purification) as essential for approaching Shiva: sin is not treated as fate but as something that can be cleansed through deliberate dharmic action—dāna (selfless giving) and tapas (disciplined restraint).

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

Linga-worship in the Vidyeśvarasaṃhitā is grounded in purity of conduct; dāna and tapas prepare the devotee’s body-mind as a fit vessel for Saguna Shiva’s grace, making worship fruitful rather than merely external.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The direct prescription is prayāścitta by dāna and tapas—e.g., giving in Shiva’s name, observing a vrata/fast, and maintaining disciplined restraint alongside Shiva-japa (such as the Pañcākṣarī) as supportive practice.