Shloka 22

पार्थिवप्रतिमापूजाविधानम्

Pārthiva-pratimā Pūjā-vidhāna — Procedure for Worship of an Earthen Icon

Devanagari script

भिषगृक्षे धनुर्मासे विघ्नेशं विधिवद्यजेत् । शतं पूजासहस्रं वा तत्संख्याकदिनैर्व्रजेत्

Transliteration

bhiṣagṛkṣe dhanurmāse vighneśaṃ vidhivadyajet | śataṃ pūjāsahasraṃ vā tatsaṃkhyākadinairvrajet

Translation

When the lunar asterism is Bhīṣag (Dhaniṣṭhā) and it is the month of Dhanur (Mārgaśīrṣa), one should worship Vighneśa according to the prescribed rite. One should perform a hundred pūjā-offerings, or a thousand, completing them in the corresponding number of days.

Word by Word

• bhiṣagṛkṣe: in the Bhishak asterism
• bhiṣagṛkṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhiṣak + ṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भिषजः ऋक्षः) — locative of time/asterism

• dhanus-māse: in the month of Dhanu (Sagittarius)
• dhanus-māse: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धनुषः मासः) — locative of time

• vighneśam: Vighneśa (Gaṇeśa)
• vighneśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighneśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• vidhivat: according to the prescribed rite
• vidhivat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vidhi-vat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) — ‘according to rule/rite’

• yajet: should worship/sacrifice to
• yajet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yaj (यज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• śatam: a hundred (times)
• śatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक — ‘a hundred’ (count/measure)

• pūjā-sahasram: a thousand worships
• pūjā-sahasram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पूजायाः सहस्रम्) — ‘a thousand of worship(s)’

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha/Option marker (सम्बन्ध/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• tat-saṃkhyāka-dinaiḥ: by (spending) days equal to that number
• tat-saṃkhyāka-dinaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat + saṃkhyāka + dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः — ‘by days equal to that number’

• vrajet: should proceed/continue (for that many days)
• vrajet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (व्रज् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Ritual calendrics for Vighneśa worship: Bhīṣag nakṣatra and Dhanur-māsa; prescribes a sādhana quantified as 100 or 1000 pūjās over matching days.

Significance: Emphasizes niyama (rule-bound observance) and saṅkhyā (counted repetition), a bridge from occasional pūjā to sustained practice; fruit implied: obstacle-removal and success in undertakings.

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

Characters & Entities

• Ganesha

FAQs

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

It emphasizes that Shaiva practice is supported by disciplined observance (vidhi) and the removal of inner and outer obstacles through Vighneśa; steady, counted worship over days trains the devotee in niyama and focused bhakti.

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

In Shaiva ritual culture, worship of Vighneśa is a preparatory step that clears impediments so that Linga-pūjā and Saguna Shiva upāsanā can be performed without distraction, error, or interruption, making the worship fruitful.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A timed observance: worship Vighneśa properly during Dhanur month and the specified nakṣatra, performing either 100 or 1000 pūjās, ideally spread across the same number of days as the count undertaken.