Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ततः प्रक्षालयेत्पादं हस्तं ब्रह्मविदां वरः व्यपोह्य भस्म चादाय देवदेवमनुस्मरन्

Transliteration

tataḥ prakṣālayetpādaṃ hastaṃ brahmavidāṃ varaḥ vyapohya bhasma cādāya devadevamanusmaran

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ബ്രഹ്മവിദന്മാരിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ തന്റെ പാദങ്ങളും കൈകളും കഴുകണം. പിന്നെ മലിനത നീക്കി പവിത്ര ഭസ്മം സ്വീകരിച്ച്/ധരിച്ച് ദേവദേവനായ ശിവനെ സ്മരിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• ततः (tataḥ): thereafter

• प्रक्षालयेत् (prakṣālayet): should wash/cleanse

• पादं (pādaṃ): the feet

• हस्तं (hastaṃ): the hands

• ब्रह्मविदां वरः (brahmavidāṃ varaḥ): the foremost among knowers of Brahman/true reality

• व्यपोह्य (vyapohya): having removed/cleared away

• भस्म (bhasma): sacred ash

• च (ca): and

• आदाय (ādāya): having taken/received

• देवदेवम् (devadevam): the God of gods (Śiva)

• अनुस्मरन् (anusmaran): remembering/keeping in continuous recollection.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-puja procedure as taught in the Linga Purana tradition)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes the mandatory preparatory discipline for liṅga-pūjā: external purity (washing hands/feet), inner purity (removing impurities), and Śiva-smaraṇa, followed by adopting bhasma as a Shaiva mark of consecration.

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

By calling Him “Devadeva,” it presents Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord beyond all gods—who is approached not merely by action but by continuous remembrance (anusmaraṇa), aligning the worshipper’s pashu (individual soul) toward the Lord.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Shaiva purification sequence central to Pāśupata-oriented practice: bodily cleansing, taking bhasma, and maintaining Śiva-smaraṇa—an integration of puja-vidhi with yogic recollection.