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

ప్రథమాశ్రమస్థుడైన బ్రహ్మచారిని భక్తితో విధివిధానంగా సంపూజించి, అనంతరం సుమధ్యమయైన, సంపూర్ణ ఆయుష్షుతో యుక్తమైన కన్యను సమర్పించాలి।

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.