Shloka 7

व्यपोहनस्तवनिरूपण-प्रसङ्गे नक्तभोजन-शिवव्रतविधिः (वार्षिक-प्रतिमास-क्रमः)

Devanagari script

कृष्णाष्टम्यां तु नक्तेन यावत्कृष्णचतुर्दशी भुञ्जन्भोगानवाप्नोति ब्रह्मलोकं च गच्छति

Transliteration

kṛṣṇāṣṭamyāṃ tu naktena yāvatkṛṣṇacaturdaśī bhuñjanbhogānavāpnoti brahmalokaṃ ca gacchati

Translation

Du huitième jour de la quinzaine sombre jusqu’au quatorzième, celui qui observe la règle du « nakta » (ne se nourrir que la nuit) obtient des jouissances subtiles comme fruit karmique, puis s’achemine vers le Brahmaloka. Il s’élève par le mérite, tout en demeurant sous la souveraineté de Pati (Śiva), qui dispense les fruits du vrata et du culte.

Word by Word

• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (tithi) of the dark fortnight

• तु: indeed

• नक्तेन: by the night-only observance (eating only at night)

• यावत्: up to, until

• कृष्णचतुर्दशी: the fourteenth tithi of the dark fortnight

• भुञ्जन्: enjoying/partaking

• भोगान्: enjoyments, worldly/svargic pleasures

• अवाप्नोति: obtains, attains

• ब्रह्मलोकम्: the world of Brahmā (Brahmaloka)

• च: and

• गच्छति: goes, proceeds

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating vrata-phala to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma

FAQs

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

It states a concrete vrata-phalā (result): practicing the nakta observance across specific tithis yields merit that grants higher enjoyments and ascent to Brahmaloka, reinforcing that disciplined worship and restraint are valid modes of honoring Śiva as Pati, the giver of fruits.

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

Though Śiva is not named in the line, the Purāṇic Shaiva frame assumes all vrata-phala is regulated by Pati (Śiva): the pashu (individual soul) acts under pasha (karmic bonds) and receives ordained results, indicating Śiva’s lordship over merit, destiny, and cosmic jurisdictions like Brahmaloka.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The practice is ‘nakta’—a vrata discipline of eating only at night—observed from Krishna Ashtami through Krishna Chaturdashi, emphasizing tapas (regulated sense-restraint) as a supportive limb to Śiva-pūjā rather than a purely physical fast.