Shloka 48

Adhyaya 89: शौचाचारलक्षणम् — सदाचार, भैक्ष्यचर्या, प्रायश्चित्त, द्रव्यशुद्धि, आशौच-निर्णय

Devanagari script

नैवमात्मविदामस्ति प्रायश्चित्तानि चोदना विश्वस्यैव हि ते शुद्धा ब्रह्मविद्याविदो जनाः

Transliteration

naivamātmavidāmasti prāyaścittāni codanā viśvasyaiva hi te śuddhā brahmavidyāvido janāḥ

Translation

ஆத்மவிதர்களுக்கு இத்தகைய பிராயச்சித்த விதிகள் உண்மையில் பொருந்தாது; ஏனெனில் பிரம்மவித்யையை அறிந்தோர் உலகமெங்கும் தூயவர்களாகவே கூறப்படுகின்றனர்.

Word by Word

• na evam: not in this way

• ātmavidām: of the knowers of the Self

• asti: there is/exists

• prāyaścittāni: expiations, acts of atonement

• codanā: injunction, scriptural prompting

• viśvasya eva: for the whole world indeed

• hi: for/indeed

• te: they

• śuddhāḥ: purified, pure

• brahma-vidyā-vidaḥ: knowers of brahma-knowledge (highest spiritual knowledge)

• janāḥ: people, persons

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It places inner realization (brahma-vidyā/ātma-jñāna) above remedial ritual: true Linga-worship culminates in recognizing the Pati (Shiva) within, where impurity and the need for expiation fall away.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the purifying Reality itself: when the pashu knows the Self, the Lord’s presence is realized as ever-pure consciousness, dissolving pasha (bondage) that produces ritual notions of sin and cleansing.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights the yogic-jñāna orientation of Pashupata practice—inner purification through Self-knowledge—indicating that expiations are secondary once brahma-vidyā is firmly realized.