Shloka 61

नारीसन्देहभञ्जक-शम्भ्ववतारकथा

The Account of Śambhu’s Incarnation that Dispels Doubts Concerning Women

Devanagari script

एताभ्यां खलु बालाभ्यां शिवपूजाविधीयताम् । उपवीतानन्तरं हि शिवः श्रेयः करिष्यति

Transliteration

etābhyāṃ khalu bālābhyāṃ śivapūjāvidhīyatām | upavītānantaraṃ hi śivaḥ śreyaḥ kariṣyati

Translation

खरोखरच या दोन्ही बालकांसाठी शिवपूजेचे विधान करावे. उपवीत धारणानंतर शिव निश्चयच त्यांचे परम श्रेय करील।

Word by Word

• etābhyām: by these (two)
• etābhyām: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया/पञ्चमी द्विवचन (Instr./Abl. du.)

• khalu: indeed
• khalu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: khalu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic particle)

• bālābhyām: by the two girls/children
• bālābhyām: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया/पञ्चमी द्विवचन (Instr./Abl. du.)

• śiva-pūjā: worship of Śiva
• śiva-pūjā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘śivasya pūjā’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• vidhīyatām: let (it) be performed
• vidhīyatām: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√dhā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन—‘let it be performed/ordained’

• upavīta-anantaram: after the sacred-thread (ceremony)
• upavīta-anantaram: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upavīta (प्रातिपदिक) + anantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः—‘after the upavīta (ceremony)’

• hi: for/indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (causal/emphatic)

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• śreyaḥ: welfare/benefit
• śreyaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• kariṣyati: will do
• kariṣyati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg.)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the injunction within the Shatarudrasaṃhitā context)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadashiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Positions Śiva-pūjā as a post-saṃskāra (upavīta) dharmic discipline yielding śreyas (worldly and transcendent welfare).

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: oṃ namaḥ śivāya

Type: panchakshara

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Ritual Elements

Offering: dipa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse links formal entry into disciplined spiritual life (upavīta/upanayana) with the commencement of Śiva-pūjā, teaching that devotion to Pati (Śiva) is the sure means to śreyaḥ—true, lasting welfare that culminates in liberation.

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

By prescribing Śiva-worship for the boys, the text implies regular, embodied practice—commonly performed as saguna worship such as Liṅga-pūjā—through which the devotee is purified and led toward the higher realization of Śiva’s transcendent nature.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to begin daily Śiva-pūjā after upanayana—offering water and bilva, reciting the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), and maintaining purity and discipline; these are foundational Shaiva practices aligned with dharma.