Shloka 16

Devanagari script

नीलोत्पलैश् च राजीवैर् नद्यावर्तैश् च मल्लिकैः चम्पकैर् जातिपुष्पैश्च बकुलैः करवीरकैः

Transliteration

nīlotpalaiś ca rājīvair nadyāvartaiś ca mallikaiḥ campakair jātipuṣpaiśca bakulaiḥ karavīrakaiḥ

Translation

నీలోత్పలాలు, రాజీవాలు, నంద్యావర్త పుష్పాలు, మల్లిక, చంపక, జాతి పుష్పాలు, బకులం, కరవీర పుష్పాలతో (శివలింగాన్ని) పూజించాలి।

Word by Word

• nīlotpalaiḥ: with blue lotuses

• ca: and

• rājīvaiḥ: with red lotuses (lotus-flowers)

• nandyāvartaiḥ: with nandyāvarta blossoms

• ca: and

• mallikaiḥ: with jasmine flowers

• campakaiḥ: with campaka blossoms

• jātipuṣpaiḥ: with jāti-flowers

• ca: and

• bakulaiḥ: with bakula blossoms

• karavīrakaiḥ: with karavīra (oleander) flowers

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-puja procedure to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Linga)

FAQs

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

It specifies approved floral offerings (puṣpa-upacāra) for Linga-pūjā, emphasizing purity and devotion as concrete acts through which the paśu approaches Pati (Śiva).

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

Though listing offerings, it implies Śiva as Pati—the supreme recipient of worship—who is approached through reverent upacāras; devotion expressed in ritual becomes a doorway toward release from pāśa (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Flower-offering as a key limb of Śiva-Linga pūjā (upacāra), supporting Pāśupata-oriented discipline where external worship steadies the mind and matures devotion toward liberation.