Shloka 7

Devanagari script

न तीर्थफलयोगेन क्रतुभिर् वाप्तदक्षिणैः न वेदाध्ययनैर्वापि न वित्तेन न वेदनैः

Transliteration

na tīrthaphalayogena kratubhir vāptadakṣiṇaiḥ na vedādhyayanairvāpi na vittena na vedanaiḥ

Translation

തീർത്ഥഫലസഞ്ചയത്താൽ അല്ല, ദക്ഷിണാസഹിത യാഗങ്ങളാൽ അല്ല; വേദാധ്യയനത്താൽ അല്ല, ധനത്താൽ അല്ല, വെറും വാദ‑വിവാദപാണ്ഡിത്യത്താലും അല്ല—പരമം ലഭ്യമാകില്ല। അത് പതി‑സ്വരൂപനായ ശിവഭക്തിയാൽ; അവൻ പശുവിന്റെ പാശം ഛേദിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• na: not

• tīrtha: pilgrimage place/sacred ford

• phala: fruit/result

• yogena: by the accumulation/connection (as a means)

• kratubhiḥ: by Vedic sacrifices

• vāpta-dakṣiṇaiḥ: with dakṣiṇā (sacrificial fees) duly given/obtained

• na: not

• veda-adhyayanaiḥ: by Veda-study/recitation

• vā api: even/also

• na: not

• vittena: by wealth

• na: not

• vedanaiḥ: by (mere) knowledge/erudition/argumentative learning

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya; conveying the Purana’s Shaiva siddhanta emphasis)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It reorients spiritual effort from external merit (tīrtha, kratu, wealth, scholarship) to the inner God-centered means—Śiva-bhakti—implying that Linga worship is efficacious when it is devotion to Pati, not mere ritual performance.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is implied as Pati, the supreme Lord who alone can cut the pāśa (bondage) of the paśu (soul); therefore liberation is not a product of worldly merit but of grace-oriented communion with Śiva-tattva.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights the limitation of ritualism and points toward a Pāśupata-aligned approach: devotion and inner turning to Śiva as the liberating practice, with rites serving as supports rather than the final cause of mokṣa.