Shloka 16
Kṣetra–Kāla–Phala-kramaḥ
Hierarchy of Sacred Place, Time, and Ritual Fruit
गायकं त्रायते पाताद्गायत्रीत्युच्यते हि सा । यथाऽर्थहिनो लोकेऽस्मिन्परस्यार्थं न यच्छति
gāyakaṃ trāyate pātādgāyatrītyucyate hi sā | yathā'rthahino loke'sminparasyārthaṃ na yacchati
彼女がまことに「ガーヤトリー」と呼ばれるのは、真言を唱える者を滅びへの墜落から守護するからである。世において意味を欠く者が他者の意味を伝え得ないように、聖なる言葉もまた真実の理解をもって保持されてこそ、シヴァへの礼拝において解脱の果を結ぶ。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: Frames Gāyatrī as a salvific protector (trāṇa) for the practitioner; in Śaiva Siddhānta terms, such mantra-śuddhi refines the paśu and prepares for Śiva-upāsanā where anugraha becomes operative.
Type: gayatri
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse teaches that Gāyatrī is a saving power because it protects the practitioner from spiritual downfall, but its full grace arises when mantra is practiced with artha—right meaning and intent—aligned to Śiva-bhakti and liberation.
In Linga/Saguṇa-Śiva worship, mantra is not mere sound; it is conscious offering. This verse implies that japa and praise become truly effective when the devotee contemplates the mantra’s meaning while honoring the Linga as the living presence of Pati (Śiva).
Practice daily japa of a Śaiva mantra (such as the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with deliberate contemplation of its meaning, as a discipline to prevent spiritual decline and to mature devotion into mokṣa-oriented insight.