Shloka 19

Sadācāra–Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Prātaḥkṛtya

Right Conduct, Social Typologies, and Morning Purification

Devanagari script

नद्यादितीर्थस्नाने तु स्नानवस्त्रं न शोधयेत् । वापीकूपगृहादौ तु स्नानादूर्ध्वं नयेद्बुधः

Transliteration

nadyāditīrthasnāne tu snānavastraṃ na śodhayet | vāpīkūpagṛhādau tu snānādūrdhvaṃ nayedbudhaḥ

Translation

เมื่ออาบน้ำในท่าน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ เช่น แม่น้ำ ไม่พึงซักผ้าอาบน้ำ ณ ที่นั้น แต่เมื่ออาบในบ่อน้ำขั้นบันได บ่อ หรือโรงอาบน้ำแล้ว ผู้รู้พึงนำผ้านั้นออกไปจากที่นั้น.

Word by Word

• नदी-आदि-तीर्थ-स्नाने: in bathing at rivers etc. (sacred fords)
• नदी-आदि-तीर्थ-स्नाने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (नद्यादि-तीर्थेषु स्नानम्)

• तु: however/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• स्नान-वस्त्रम्: bathing cloth
• स्नान-वस्त्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (स्नानस्य वस्त्रम्)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• शोधयेत्: should cleanse/wash
• शोधयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शुध्/√शुच् (धातु) (causative sense: शोधन)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; (णिच्-अर्थः) ‘should cleanse’

• वापी-कूप-गृह-आदौ: in (places like) ponds, wells, houses, etc.
• वापी-कूप-गृह-आदौ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वापी (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (वापी च कूपश्च गृहं च) + ‘आदि’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषण-अव्यय (particle)

• स्नानात्: after bathing/from bathing
• स्नानात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• ऊर्ध्वम्: afterwards
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययभाव)
• Form: काल/क्रम-अव्यय (adverb: ‘afterwards/upwards’)

• नयेत्: should lead/take (it)
• नयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नी (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बुधः: the wise person
• बुधः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Tatpuruṣa

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Protects tīrtha-sānnidhya (sanctity of holy waters) by preventing impurity; guarding sacred space removes obstacles (pāśa) to effective worship.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches śauca (ritual purity) and restraint at tīrthas—treating sacred waters as sanctifying, not as a place for mundane washing—so the devotee’s reverence supports inner purity aligned with Shaiva dharma.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Tīrtha-bathing is a preparatory discipline for approaching Saguna Shiva in worship; by observing proper conduct, the devotee becomes fit for Linga-pūjā, mantra-japa, and other acts of devotion performed with cleanliness and respect.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is to keep the bathing act focused on purification: avoid washing clothes in river-tīrthas, maintain disciplined conduct, and then proceed to Shiva worship (e.g., japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a purified mind and body.