Shloka 73

Devanagari script

पूजयेत् परमात्मानं प्राप्यारण्यं विभावसौ मुनिर्द्वादशवर्षं वा वर्षमात्रम् अथापि वा

Transliteration

pūjayet paramātmānaṃ prāpyāraṇyaṃ vibhāvasau munirdvādaśavarṣaṃ vā varṣamātram athāpi vā

Translation

അരണ്യത്തിലെത്തി മുനി പരമാത്മാവ്—പതിസ്വരൂപൻ ശിവൻ—അവനെ പൂജിക്കണം; പന്ത്രണ്ടു വർഷമോ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഒരു വർഷമോ.

Word by Word

• पूजयेत्: should worship

• परमात्मानम्: the Supreme Self (Paramatman)

• प्राप्य: having reached/attained

• आरण्यम्: the forest (solitary woodland)

• विभावसौ: in the radiant one / in the blazing (i.e., in Agni

• मुनिः: the sage

• द्वादशवर्षम्: twelve years

• वा: or

• वर्षमात्रम्: only one year

• अथापि: even/at least

• वा: or

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the discipline of Shiva-worship to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Agni

FAQs

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

It emphasizes sustained, vow-based devotion: Shiva (as Paramatman) is to be worshipped with long-term tapas in seclusion, showing that Linga-puja is not merely a momentary rite but a transformative discipline.

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

By calling him Paramatman, the verse points to Shiva as the supreme Pati—inner Self of all—whose realization dissolves pasha (bondage) and establishes the pashu (individual soul) in liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A forest-based vrata combining puja and tapas over a defined period (one year or twelve), aligned with Pashupata-style discipline: purification, steady worship, and inward contemplation of Shiva as the Supreme Self.