Shloka 5

उपलेपनादिकथनम्

Vastraputa-jala, Ahimsa, and Conduct in Shiva Worship

Devanagari script

संमार्जने तथा नॄणां मार्जने च विशेषतः अग्नौ कण्डनके चैव पेषणे तोयसंग्रहे

Transliteration

saṃmārjane tathā nṝṇāṃ mārjane ca viśeṣataḥ agnau kaṇḍanake caiva peṣaṇe toyasaṃgrahe

Translation

झाडू मारणे, तसेच माणसांची (आणि परिसराची) स्वच्छता—विशेषतः घासून धुणे—अग्निसेवा, कांडणे-उखळणे, दळणे, आणि पाणी काढून साठवणे—ही सर्व कर्मे नियमाने सेवाभावाने करावीत।

Word by Word

• संमार्जने: in sweeping/cleaning

• तथा: and/likewise

• नॄणाम्: of people/for persons

• मार्जने: in cleansing/scrubbing

• च: and

• विशेषतः: especially

• अग्नौ: in/with the fire (sacred fire)

• कण्डनके: in pounding/husking (grain processing)

• चैव: and indeed

• पेषणे: in grinding

• तोय-संग्रहे: in collecting/storing water

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Agni

FAQs

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

It frames everyday acts—cleaning, tending fire, preparing grain, and water collection—as Shiva-seva (service to Pati), supporting purity (śauca) that undergirds Linga-puja.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati, the Lord toward whom actions are offered; when the pashu’s routine work is aligned to Him, karma becomes purificatory rather than binding (pāśa-producing).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Shaiva karma-yoga style of discipline: śauca (cleanliness) and seva as preparatory practice for puja and for loosening pāśa (bondage) in a Pashupata-oriented life.