Shloka 15

Adhyaya 33: Pashupata Conduct, Bhasma-Vrata, and Shiva’s Boon to the Sages

Devanagari script

स्नापयन्ति महाकुम्भैर् अद्भिर् एव महेश्वरम् गायन्ति विविधैर्गुह्यैर् हुंकारैश्चापि सुस्वरैः

Transliteration

snāpayanti mahākumbhair adbhir eva maheśvaram gāyanti vividhairguhyair huṃkāraiścāpi susvaraiḥ

Translation

Bañan a Maheśvara con agua vertida de grandes cántaros rituales, y cantan diversos himnos secretos, pronunciando también invocaciones huṃ-kāra con voces bien afinadas y resonantes.

Word by Word

• स्नापयन्ति: they bathe/perform abhiṣeka

• महाकुम्भैः: with great pitchers (ritual pots)

• अद्भिः एव: with water alone/indeed with waters

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva as the Supreme Lord, Pati)

• गायन्ति: they sing/chant

• विविधैः: with various/many kinds

• गुह्यैः: secret, esoteric (mantras/hymns)

• हुंकारैः: with huṃ-kāra utterances (seed-like invocations)

• च अपि: and also

• सुस्वरैः: with beautiful/proper tones (well-intoned).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the ritual scene to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Maheshvara)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It highlights abhiṣeka (ritual bathing) as a central limb of Liṅga-pūjā—offering sanctified water through mahākumbhas while sustaining worship with mantra and song.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is addressed as Maheśvara—the Pati (Supreme Lord) who receives devotion through both outer rite (water-offering) and inner, guhyā worship (esoteric mantra), implying His transcendence and immanence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Kalasha/mahākumbha abhiṣeka accompanied by guhyā-mantra chanting and huṃkāra—an esoteric, Pāśupata-flavored mode of invoking Śiva through sound (nāda) and disciplined recitation.