Shloka 31
Viśvānara-Gṛhapati Upākhyāna — Śivasya Agni-gṛhe Avatāraḥ
The Account of Viśvānara Gṛhapati and Śiva’s Descent into the House of Fire
नन्दीश्वर उवाच । इति कृत्वा मतिन्धीरो विप्रो विश्वानरः कृती । चन्द्रकूपजले स्नात्वा जग्राह नियमं व्रती
nandīśvara uvāca | iti kṛtvā matindhīro vipro viśvānaraḥ kṛtī | candrakūpajale snātvā jagrāha niyamaṃ vratī
ナンディーシュヴァラは言った。かくして、意志堅固にして有能・成就せる婆羅門ヴィシュヴァーナラ（Viśvānara）は、チャンドラ・クーパ（Candrakūpa）の水に沐浴し、誓戒を保つ者として定められたニヤマ（niyama）の行を受け入れた。
Nandīśvara (Nandi)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Nandīśvara narrates the exemplary vrata of the brāhmaṇa Viśvānara: after resolving thus, he bathes in Candrakūpa (a local tīrtha) and undertakes niyama. The kṣetra is thereby marked by both liṅga and tīrtha as paired means of purification and readiness for grace.
Significance: Highlights tīrtha-snāna plus niyama as preparatory purification (adhikāra-sādhana) for effective liṅga-worship and eventual siddhi/boon.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse highlights that inner steadiness (matindhairya) is expressed through outer discipline: purification by sacred bathing followed by niyama. In a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such regulated conduct prepares the devotee (paśu) to receive Shiva’s grace (Pati’s anugraha) by loosening bonds (pāśa) like impurity and distraction.
Though the Liṅga is not named in this line, the sequence—snāna (purificatory bath) and taking niyama—matches the standard preparatory steps for Saguna Shiva worship in the Purana tradition, where disciplined vows support focused pūjā, japa, and reverent approach to Shiva’s manifest form.
A tīrtha-like bath (snāna) followed by adopting niyama as a vrata—i.e., regulated conduct such as purity, restraint, and devotional routine—commonly paired with Shiva japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and other Shaiva observances.