Shloka 141

उमामहेश्वरव्रतं—पञ्चाक्षरमन्त्रस्य माहात्म्यं, न्यासः, जपविधिः, सदाचारः, विनियोगः

Devanagari script

राजप्रतिग्रहैर् दग्धान् ब्राह्मणान् ब्रह्मवादिनः स्विन्नानामपि बीजानां पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते

Transliteration

rājapratigrahair dagdhān brāhmaṇān brahmavādinaḥ svinnānāmapi bījānāṃ punarjanma na vidyate

Translation

राजप्रतिग्रहैर्दग्धा ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मवादिनः। स्विन्नबीजसमाः सन्तः पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते॥

Word by Word

• rāja: king

• pratigrahaiḥ: by acceptances of gifts (patronage)

• dagdhān: burned, spiritually scorched

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins

• brahma-vādinaḥ: proclaimers/knowers of Brahman (Vedic expounders)

• svinnānām: steamed, boiled by heat

• api: even

• bījānām: of seeds

• punar-janma: re-birth, re-sprouting

• na: not

• vidyate: is found/occurs

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It sets a purity standard for those who perform Shiva-puja and handle sacred dana: accepting corrupt patronage becomes a pasha (bond) that weakens mantra-tejas, making worship and teaching spiritually sterile—like steamed seed.

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

By implication, Shiva as Pati is attained through inner purity and freedom from pasha such as greed and compromised gifts; when the pashu is ‘burnt’ by unethical acceptance, its capacity for uplift toward Shiva-tattva is obstructed.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dana-dharma discipline and priestly restraint: maintaining purity in receiving gifts so that puja, japa, and Vedic recitation retain efficacy—an ethical prerequisite aligned with Pashupata self-control (yama-like restraint).