Shloka 5

Adhyaya 79 — Bhakti-Mahima and Linga-Archana-Vidhi

Condensed Ritual Sequence

Devanagari script

उच्छिष्टः पूजयन्याति पैशाचं तु द्विजाधमः संक्रुद्धो राक्षसं स्थानं प्राप्नुयान् मूढधीर् द्विजाः

Transliteration

ucchiṣṭaḥ pūjayanyāti paiśācaṃ tu dvijādhamaḥ saṃkruddho rākṣasaṃ sthānaṃ prāpnuyān mūḍhadhīr dvijāḥ

Translation

Oh, brāhmaṇas, un nacido dos veces de la más baja conducta, si rinde culto estando ucciṣṭa (impuro por restos de comida), cae en un estado de piśāca. Si, con mente extraviada, adora en la ira, alcanza una condición semejante a la de un rākṣasa. Así, la disposición impropia y la impureza atan al paśu (alma) con mayor fuerza al pāśa, en vez de conducirlo hacia Pati, Śiva.

Word by Word

• ucchiṣṭaḥ: while polluted by food-remnants/unclean

• pūjayan: worshipping (performing pūjā)

• yāti: goes/attains

• paiśācam: the state/realm of piśācas

• tu: indeed

• dvijādhamaḥ: the lowest among the twice-born

• saṃkruddhaḥ: enraged/filled with anger

• rākṣasam: rākṣasa-like state/realm

• sthānam: station/abode

• prāpnuyāt: would attain

• mūḍha-dhīḥ: of deluded understanding

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brāhmaṇas).

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It warns that Linga-pūjā must be done with śauca (purity) and a शांत (peaceful) mind; worship done in ucchiṣṭa-impurity or anger produces binding karmic results rather than Śiva’s grace.

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

Śiva as Pati is approached through inner and outer purification; when the paśu approaches with pāśa-like states (anger, delusion, impurity), the result aligns with those states, not with liberating Śiva-tattva.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Śauca and bhāva-śuddhi: maintaining bodily cleanliness and calming anger (krodha) before pūjā—foundational disciplines aligned with Pāśupata-oriented self-purification.