Shloka 15

Adhyaya 33: Pashupata Conduct, Bhasma-Vrata, and Shiva’s Boon to the Sages

Devanagari script

स्नापयन्ति महाकुम्भैर् अद्भिर् एव महेश्वरम् गायन्ति विविधैर्गुह्यैर् हुंकारैश्चापि सुस्वरैः

Transliteration

snāpayanti mahākumbhair adbhir eva maheśvaram gāyanti vividhairguhyair huṃkāraiścāpi susvaraiḥ

Translation

അവർ മഹാകുംഭങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നുള്ള ജലം ഒഴിച്ച് മഹേശ്വരനെ സ്നാപനം ചെയ്യിക്കുന്നു. പിന്നെ വിവിധ ഗുഹ്യസ്തുതികൾ പാടി, സുസ്വരമായി ‘ഹും’കാരവും ഉച്ചരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• स्नापयन्ति: they bathe/perform abhiṣeka

• महाकुम्भैः: with great pitchers (ritual pots)

• अद्भिः एव: with water alone/indeed with waters

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva as the Supreme Lord, Pati)

• गायन्ति: they sing/chant

• विविधैः: with various/many kinds

• गुह्यैः: secret, esoteric (mantras/hymns)

• हुंकारैः: with huṃ-kāra utterances (seed-like invocations)

• च अपि: and also

• सुस्वरैः: with beautiful/proper tones (well-intoned).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the ritual scene to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Maheshvara)

FAQs

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

It highlights abhiṣeka (ritual bathing) as a central limb of Liṅga-pūjā—offering sanctified water through mahākumbhas while sustaining worship with mantra and song.

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

Śiva is addressed as Maheśvara—the Pati (Supreme Lord) who receives devotion through both outer rite (water-offering) and inner, guhyā worship (esoteric mantra), implying His transcendence and immanence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Kalasha/mahākumbha abhiṣeka accompanied by guhyā-mantra chanting and huṃkāra—an esoteric, Pāśupata-flavored mode of invoking Śiva through sound (nāda) and disciplined recitation.