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

牛に乗る主として、また半月の月を半ばの飾りとして戴くソーマを造り（あるいは礼拝のために安置し）た者は、アシュヴァメーダを一万回行うのと同等の功徳を得る。

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.