Shloka 43

Adhyaya 84: शिवव्रतकथनम्

Uma–Maheshvara Vrata, Shula-dana, and Month-wise Ekabhakta Vrata

Devanagari script

प्रथमाश्रमिणं भक्त्या सम्पूज्य च यथाविधि कन्यां सुमध्यमां यावत् कालजीवनसंयुताम्

Transliteration

prathamāśramiṇaṃ bhaktyā sampūjya ca yathāvidhi kanyāṃ sumadhyamāṃ yāvat kālajīvanasaṃyutām

Translation

Tendo, com devoção, honrado devidamente aquele estabelecido no primeiro āśrama (o brahmacārin) segundo o rito correto, deve-se então oferecer uma donzela de cintura graciosa, dotada de vida que alcança plenamente o tempo que lhe foi destinado.

Word by Word

• prathama-āśramiṇam: one belonging to the first āśrama (brahmacarya)

• bhaktyā: with devotion

• sampūjya: having worshipped/honored fully

• ca: and

• yathā-vidhi: according to prescribed rule

• kanyām: a maiden/virgin girl

• su-madhyamām: slender-waisted, well-proportioned

• yāvat: up to/as long as

• kāla: the allotted time (of destiny)

• jīvana: life, lifespan

• saṁyutām: endowed with/possessing

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana discourse to the sages; internal ritual instruction context inferred)

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva-oriented merit as inseparable from yathāvidhi conduct—devotional honoring of the dhārmic order (āśrama) and prescribed offerings that support purity and eligibility for Shiva-pūjā.

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

Indirectly: Shiva as Pati is approached through disciplined dharma and devotion; the verse emphasizes that right order (vidhi) and bhakti refine the pashu (individual soul) toward grace, rather than mere external acts.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A puja/dāna-oriented observance: honoring a brahmacārin (first āśrama) according to rule and then making a prescribed gift/offer—presented as a dharmic support to Shaiva worship and inner purification.