Shloka 35

बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्

Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause

Devanagari script

स्वहस्ताल्लिखितं लिंगं शुद्धप्रणवमंत्रकम् । यंत्रलिंगं समालिख्य प्रतिष्ठावाहनं चरेत्

Transliteration

svahastāllikhitaṃ liṃgaṃ śuddhapraṇavamaṃtrakam | yaṃtraliṃgaṃ samālikhya pratiṣṭhāvāhanaṃ caret

Translation

സ്വഹസ്തംകൊണ്ട് ലിംഗ-യന്ത്രം വരച്ച് അതിൽ ശുദ്ധ പ്രണവമന്ത്രം (ഓം) എഴുതണം. ഇങ്ങനെ യന്ത്രലിംഗം ശരിയായി ഒരുക്കി, അതിന്റെ പ്രതിഷ്ഠയും ആവാഹനവും നടത്തണം.

Word by Word

• sva-hastāt: from (his) own hand
• sva-hastāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘स्वस्य हस्तः’; Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; ‘from (one’s) own hand’

• likhitam: written/inscribed
• likhitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √likh (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kṛdanta past passive participle (क्त/क्तप्रत्ययान्त), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agrees with ‘liṅgam’

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• śuddha-praṇava-maṃtrakam: having the pure praṇava-mantra
• śuddha-praṇava-maṃtrakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + maṃtraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (समास; ‘praṇava-maṃtraka’ = praṇava as mantra; qualified by śuddha); Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; agrees with ‘liṅgam’

• yantra-liṅgam: the yantra-liṅga
• yantra-liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yantra (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी/संबन्ध) ‘yantrasya liṅgam’; Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• samālikhya: having drawn/inscribed well
• samālikhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण; पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√likh (धातु) + lyap (क्त्वा/ल्यप्)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), ‘having completely drawn/inscribed’

• pratiṣṭhā-vāhanam: installation and invocation
• pratiṣṭhā-vāhanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratiṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व) ‘pratiṣṭhā ca vāhanam ca’; Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (collective)

• caret: should perform
• caret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/Optative), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Teaches portable/accessible worship through yantra-liṅga with praṇava; supports household and initiatory practice where a full temple installation is not possible.

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: Oṃ (śuddha-praṇava)

Type: gayatri

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that Śiva’s presence can be reverently invoked through a properly prepared sacred form—here, a yantra-liṅga empowered by the pure Praṇava (Oṃ)—uniting devotion (bhakti) with disciplined ritual (vidhi) to steady the mind toward Śiva.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The liṅga (including a yantra-liṅga) is a saguna support for worship: the devotee establishes and invokes Śiva in a consecrated form so that attention, mantra, and offering become focused and effective in liṅga-pūjā.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Prepare a yantra-liṅga personally, inscribe it with Oṃ, then perform pratiṣṭhā and āvāhana—i.e., consecration and invocation—followed by steady mantra-japa and worship centered on the Praṇava.