Shloka 12

यतिप्रायश्चित्तविधानम्

Ascetic Atonements and Discipline

Devanagari script

इम्पोर्तन्चे ओफ़् पोस्सेस्सिओन् स्तेयादभ्यधिकः कश्चिन् नास्त्यधर्म इति श्रुतिः हिंसा ह्येषा परा सृष्टा स्तैन्यं वै कथितं तथा

Transliteration

importance of possession steyādabhyadhikaḥ kaścin nāstyadharma iti śrutiḥ hiṃsā hyeṣā parā sṛṣṭā stainyaṃ vai kathitaṃ tathā

Translation

ശ്രുതി പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്നു—പരിഗ്രഹാസക്തിയിൽ നിന്നുയരുന്ന മോഷണത്തേക്കാൾ വലിയ അധർമ്മമില്ല. അത്തരം മോഷണം പരമഹിംസ തന്നെയാണ്; അതുകൊണ്ട് അതിനെ ‘സ്തൈന്യം’ എന്നും മൂലത്തിൽ ‘ഹിംസ’ എന്നും പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• steyāt: than theft

• abhyadhikaḥ: greater/superior

• kaścit: anything/anyone

• nāsti: there is not

• adharmaḥ: unrighteousness, violation of dharma

• iti: thus

• śrutiḥ: Vedic revelation

• hiṃsā: violence, injury

• hi: indeed

• eṣā: this

• parā: highest, supreme

• sṛṣṭā: created/considered

• stainyam: stealing, thievery

• vai: indeed

• kathitam: declared/said

• tathā: thus/accordingly

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating dharma-teachings within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva-bhakti as inseparable from dharmic purification: theft is not only a social crime but a subtle violence that intensifies pasha (bondage), making the mind unfit for Linga-puja and Pashupata discipline.

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

By condemning theft as supreme himsa, the text implies Shiva as Pati—the pure Lord who is approached through inner non-injury and restraint; alignment with Shiva-tattva requires dissolving possessiveness that binds the pashu.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights the yama of asteya (non-stealing) and ahimsa as foundational to Pashupata Yoga and to ritual purity before Linga-puja, dana, and vrata.