Shloka 8

Devanagari script

प्राणायामसमायुक्तं चरेत्सांतपनं व्रतम् ततश्चरति निर्देशात् कृच्छ्रं चान्ते समाहितः

Transliteration

prāṇāyāmasamāyuktaṃ caretsāṃtapanaṃ vratam tataścarati nirdeśāt kṛcchraṃ cānte samāhitaḥ

Translation

ప్రాణాయామంతో యుక్తుడై సాంతపన వ్రతాన్ని ఆచరించాలి. అనంతరం శాస్త్రనిర్దేశం ప్రకారం కృచ్ఛ్ర తపస్సును కూడా చేసి, చివరికి మనస్సును సమాహితంగా ఉంచాలి.

Word by Word

• प्राणायाम-समायुक्तम्: joined with breath-discipline (prāṇāyāma)

• चरेत्: should practice/undertake

• सांतपनम् (सान्तपनम्): Sāṃtapana (a purificatory vow/penance)

• व्रतम्: vow, observance

• ततः: thereafter

• चरति: performs/practices

• निर्देशात्: according to instruction/ordinance

• कृच्छ्रम्: Kṛcchra (austerity/penance)

• च: and

• अन्ते: at the end

• समाहितः: composed, concentrated, mentally collected

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the vrata and prāyaścitta discipline within the Linga Purana’s Śaiva framework)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-oriented Śaiva practice as requiring inner purification: prāṇāyāma and regulated penance prepare the pashu (individual soul) to approach Pati (Śiva) with reduced pāśa (bondage) such as impurity and restlessness.

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

Śiva-tattva is implied as the pure, stabilizing reality approached through samādhāna (composure). The verse emphasizes that nearness to Śiva is not merely external ritual but inward collectedness that loosens bondage.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Prāṇāyāma integrated with prāyaścitta-vratas—specifically Sāṃtapana and Kṛcchra—showing a Pāśupata-leaning discipline where breath-control supports austerity and mental steadiness.