Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 14

यतिप्रायश्चित्तविधानम्

Ascetic Atonements and Discipline

Devanagari script

एवं कृत्वा सुदुष्टात्मा भिन्नवृत्तो व्रताच्च्युतः भूयो निर्वेदमापन्नश् चरेच्चान्द्रायणं व्रतम्

Transliteration

evaṃ kṛtvā suduṣṭātmā bhinnavṛtto vratāccyutaḥ bhūyo nirvedamāpannaś careccāndrāyaṇaṃ vratam

Translation

Pagkaraang gawin iyon, ang taong may masamang loob—na nabasag ang asal at nalihis sa kanyang vrata—ay dapat muling magbalik na may tunay na pagsisisi at isagawa ang Cāndrāyaṇa na panata bilang pagtubos. Sa gayon, ang paśu (nakagapos na kaluluwa) ay makaluluwag sa pāśa (pagkagapos) at makababalik sa landas na patungo kay Pati, si Śiva.

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus/in this manner

• kṛtvā: having done

• su-duṣṭa-ātmā: one of very wicked/corrupted mind

• bhinna-vṛttaḥ: whose conduct/observance is broken

• vrata-āt-cyutaḥ: fallen from the vow

• bhūyaḥ: again

• nirvedam āpannaḥ: having attained remorse/dispassion (repentance)

• caret: should practice/undertake

• cāndrāyaṇam: the Cāndrāyaṇa expiatory observance (moon-related fasting discipline)

• vratam: vow/penance

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating śāstric injunctions within the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that lapses in vrata connected to Shiva-dharma are not the end; through prescribed expiation like Cāndrāyaṇa, the devotee regains ritual and inner eligibility to continue Linga-oriented worship with purity.

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

Shiva is implied as Pati—the liberating Lord—toward whom the paśu returns by removing pāśa (impurity and demerit) through remorse and disciplined penance, aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta’s purification-to-grace trajectory.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata is highlighted—an expiatory, moon-phased discipline of regulated intake and restraint—used as prāyaścitta to restore broken observances and re-establish self-control supportive of Shaiva sādhanā.