Shloka 17

स्वेच्छाविग्रहसंभव-प्रतिष्ठाफलवर्णनम् (विविधशिवमूर्तिप्रतिष्ठा, लोक-फल, शिवसायुज्य)

Devanagari script

वृषारूढं तु यः कुर्यात् सोमं सोमार्धभूषणम् हयमेधायुतं कृत्वा यत्पुण्यं तद् अवाप्य सः

Transliteration

vṛṣārūḍhaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāt somaṃ somārdhabhūṣaṇam hayamedhāyutaṃ kṛtvā yatpuṇyaṃ tad avāpya saḥ

Translation

Quiconque façonne (ou établit pour le culte) Soma comme le Seigneur monté sur le Taureau, paré du croissant de lune comme demi-ornement, obtient le même mérite que celui acquis par dix mille sacrifices Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• वृषारूढम्: bull-mounted (Lord Śiva)

• तु: indeed

• यः: whoever

• कुर्यात्: should make/construct/establish (for worship)

• सोमम्: Soma (here, Śiva as Soma/Candraśekhara)

• सोमार्धभूषणम्: having the crescent-moon as a half-ornament (moon-crested)

• हयमेधायुतम्: ten thousand Aśvamedhas

• कृत्वा: having performed

• यत्पुण्यम्: whatever merit

• तत्: that

• अवाप्य: attaining

• सः: he

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the phala of Śiva-upāsanā to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Soma

FAQs

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

It declares that establishing and worshipping Śiva in the Soma/Chandraśekhara form (bull-mounted, moon-crested) yields merit equal to vast Vedic sacrifices, emphasizing bhakti and Śiva-archana as a supreme means to grace.

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

Śiva is presented as Pati—the sovereign Lord who bears the moon (Soma) and rides the bull, signifying mastery over time, mind, and dharma; His grace can confer fruits surpassing sacrificial karma.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A practice of pratimā/arcā-sthāpanā (making/establishing an icon for worship) of Vr̥ṣārūḍha Soma—an act of Śiva-pūjā that, in a Shaiva Siddhānta lens, loosens pāśa (bondage) for the paśu through devotion to Pati.