Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 51

Shivamurti–Pratishtha Phala: Shivalaya-Nirmana, Kshetra-Mahatmya, Tirtha-Snana, and Mandala-Vidhi

Devanagari script

घृतस्नानेन चानन्तं शार्करे तच्छताधिकम् शिवक्षेत्रसमीपस्थां नदीं प्राप्यावगाह्य च

Transliteration

ghṛtasnānena cānantaṃ śārkare tacchatādhikam śivakṣetrasamīpasthāṃ nadīṃ prāpyāvagāhya ca

Translation

ਘਿਉ ਨਾਲ ਅਭਿਸ਼ੇਕ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ ਪੁੰਨ ਅਨੰਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਸ਼ੱਕਰ ਨਾਲ ਸਨਾਨ/ਅਭਿਸ਼ੇਕ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ ਉਹੀ ਪੁੰਨ ਸੌ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਧ ਵਧ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਿਵ-ਖੇਤਰ ਦੇ ਨੇੜੇ ਵਹਿੰਦੀ ਨਦੀ ਤੱਕ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਡੁੱਬਕੀ ਲੈਣੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• घृत-स्नानेन: by bathing with ghee

• च: and

• अनन्तम्: infinite, unbounded (merit)

• शार्करे: in (a bath using) sugar/sweetness

• तत्: that (merit)

• शत-अधिकम्: a hundred-fold and more

• शिव-क्षेत्र-समीप-स्थाम्: situated near a holy field/temple-region of Śiva

• नदीम्: river

• प्राप्य: having reached

• अवगाह्य: having immersed/bathed

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It links bodily purification (snāna) with proximity to a Śiva-kṣetra, implying that tīrtha-bathing near the Lord’s abode supports eligibility for Liṅga-pūjā and the accrual of puṇya conducive to grace (anugraha) from Pati (Śiva).

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

Śiva is implied as the sanctifying Pati whose kṣetra and nearby waters magnify merit; contact with places connected to Him becomes a means of loosening pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul) through purity and devotion.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A tīrtha-snāna vidhi is highlighted—ritual bathing (including ghee/sweet baths and immersion in a river near a Śiva-kṣetra) as a preparatory discipline supporting Shaiva sādhanā and Pāśupata-style purification.