Shloka 19
एष एव श्मशानेषु देवो वसति निर्दहन् । यजन्ते ते जनास्तत्र वीरस्थाननिषेविण:
eṣa eva śmaśāneṣu devo vasati nirdahan | yajante te janās tatra vīrasthāna-niṣevinaḥ ||
Vāyu bersabda: “Dewa yang sama ini bersemayam di tanah kremasi, membakar (segala yang harus dilenyapkan). Mereka yang memuja-Nya di sana—yang mendatangi tempat-tempat para pahlawan—akan mencapai alam-alam luhur yang diraih oleh orang-orang gagah berani.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the Lord’s presence is not confined to auspicious spaces; He is present even in cremation-grounds as the consuming, purifying fire. Worship offered with reverence in such liminal places—associated with death and heroic sacrifice—can lead to exalted posthumous attainments, akin to the worlds gained by the brave.
Vāyu speaks about the Deity who abides in the cremation-ground, continually ‘burning’ (as fire). He states that those who go there and worship—frequenting heroic grounds—receive excellent realms, emphasizing the sanctity of Śiva’s śmaśāna aspect and the spiritual merit of such devotion.