Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 20

पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow

Devanagari script

भूत्वा स्नात्वा ततो वीतलज्जश्चेत्स्याद्दिगम्बरः । अपि काषायवसनश्चर्मचीराम्बरो ऽथ वा

Transliteration

bhūtvā snātvā tato vītalajjaścetsyāddigambaraḥ | api kāṣāyavasanaścarmacīrāmbaro 'tha vā

Translation

ضروری آچارن پورے کرکے غسل کرے؛ پھر شرم سے آزاد ہوکر، اگر ضرورت ہو تو دِگمبر رہے۔ یا کَشایہ لباس پہنے، یا چمڑے اور چھال کے کپڑے کا آستر اختیار کرے—جو شِوَ کے حکم کے مطابق مناسب ہو۔

Word by Word

• bhūtvā: having become
• bhūtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), avyaya-kriyā; ‘having become’

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), avyaya-kriyā; ‘having bathed’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘then’

• vīta-lajjaḥ: free from shame
• vīta-lajjaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vīta (कृदन्त; √vī/√vi (धातु) + kta, ‘gone away’) + lajjā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi ‘whose shame has departed’

• cet: if
• cet: Hetu/Condition marker (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conditional particle (यदि-अर्थ)

• syāt: should be
• syāt: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• dig-ambaraḥ: sky-clad (naked)
• dig-ambaraḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dik (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi ‘one whose garment is the directions (i.e., naked)’

• api: also/even
• api: Samuccaya/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle meaning ‘also/even’

• kāṣāya-vasanaḥ: wearing ochre garments
• kāṣāya-vasanaḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāṣāya (प्रातिपदिक) + vasana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi ‘one whose clothing is ochre’

• carma-cīra-ambaraḥ: wearing skin and bark-cloth as clothing
• carma-cīra-ambaraḥ: Kartṛ-sāmānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: carma (प्रातिपदिक) + cīra (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi ‘one whose garment is skin and bark-cloth’

• atha: or else/then
• atha: Anukrama/Alternative marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle ‘or else/then’

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; disjunctive particle

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Bhikṣāṭana

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that for a seeker of Śiva, inner purity and detachment matter more than social convention—after purification and bathing, one should live without shame, adopting whatever simple attire supports renunciation and steady sādhanā.

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

The verse frames external discipline as supportive to Saguna Śiva worship (such as Linga-upāsanā): simplicity, purity, and freedom from ego make the mind fit for devotion, mantra, and contemplative focus on Śiva’s form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It explicitly emphasizes observance followed by bathing (śauca) and adopting a restrained ascetic lifestyle; it implicitly supports Shaiva sādhanā like japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and meditation with renunciant discipline.