Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 75

पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow

Devanagari script

कार्तिक्यां वैद्रुमं लिंगं वैदूर्यं मार्गशीर्षके । पुष्परागमयं पौषे माघे द्युमणिजन्तथा

Transliteration

kārtikyāṃ vaidrumaṃ liṃgaṃ vaidūryaṃ mārgaśīrṣake | puṣparāgamayaṃ pauṣe māghe dyumaṇijantathā

Translation

Au mois de Kārtika, qu’on vénère le Liṅga de vaidruma (corail) ; au mois de Mārgaśīrṣa, le Liṅga de vaidūrya (œil-de-chat) ; au mois de Pauṣa, le Liṅga façonné de puṣparāga (topaze) ; et au mois de Māgha, de même, le Liṅga fait d’un joyau rayonnant.

Word by Word

• kārtikyām: in Kārtikā
• kārtikyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārtikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); month-name

• vaidrumam: (made of) coral
• vaidrumam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaidruma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); 'coral-made/related to coral' qualifying liṅgam

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vaidūryam: (made of) vaidūrya (cat's-eye)
• vaidūryam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaidūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); gemstone-name (cat's-eye/vaidūrya) used adjectivally

• mārgaśīrṣake: in Mārgaśīrṣa
• mārgaśīrṣake: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārgaśīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); month-name

• puṣparāgamayam: made of puṣparāga (topaz)
• puṣparāgamayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣparāga + maya (प्रातिपदिक); puṣparāga (रत्ननाम) + maya (मय)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying liṅgam

• pauṣe: in Pauṣa
• pauṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pauṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); month-name

• māghe: in Māgha
• māghe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); month-name

• dyumaṇijaḥ: (it is) of dyumaṇi (a radiant gem)
• dyumaṇijaḥ: Kartā (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dyumaṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); used predicatively: 'is (of) dyumaṇi'; agrees with implied liṅgaḥ (masc) or as adjective for (liṅgam) with gender-shift in transmission

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• tathā: likewise/so also
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adder)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Frames devotion as disciplined observance across the ritual year; the ‘best’ worship is not travel-dependent but vrata-consistent and dravya-appropriate.

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Ritual-year progression through Kārtika, Mārgaśīrṣa, Pauṣa, Māgha (late autumn to winter seasonal arc).

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches regulated, time-aligned devotion: by consecrating worship through specific months and pure materials, the devotee disciplines mind and senses, offering refined substances to Pati (Śiva) and moving from worldly attachment toward grace and liberation.

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

It presents Saguna upāsanā through the Śiva-liṅga: the Lord is worshipped with a tangible emblem and sanctified materials (coral, gems). The material form supports concentration and surrender, while the liṅga points beyond form to Śiva’s transcendent reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform month-wise Liṅga-pūjā using prescribed pure materials, accompanied by steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and a sattvic observance (vrata), offering devotion with consistency rather than occasional impulse.