Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 35

पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow

Devanagari script

समभ्यर्च्य यथालाभं महापूजाविधानतः । धूपं दीपं तथा चापि नैवेद्यं च समादिशेत्

Transliteration

samabhyarcya yathālābhaṃ mahāpūjāvidhānataḥ | dhūpaṃ dīpaṃ tathā cāpi naivedyaṃ ca samādiśet

Translation

اپنی استطاعت کے مطابق مہاپوجا کے ودھان کے مطابق شیو کی درست ارچنا کرکے، پھر دھوپ، دیپ اور نَیویدیہ بھی باقاعدہ طور پر پیش کرے۔

Word by Word

• sam-abhyarcya: having worshipped well
• sam-abhyarcya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam- (उपसर्ग) + abhi- (उपसर्ग) + arc (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: absolutive/gerund (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-arthī), ‘having duly worshipped’

• yathā-lābham: as available
• yathā-lābham: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + lābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva compound used adverbially: ‘according to one’s means/availability’

• mahā-pūjā-vidhānataḥ: according to the great-worship procedure
• mahā-pūjā-vidhānataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjā (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तसिल्)
• Form: Avyaya formed with -tas (ablatival adverb): ‘according to/from the procedure of great worship’; internal compound: tatpuruṣa (mahā-pūjā-vidhāna)

• dhūpam: incense
• dhūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• dīpam: lamp
• dīpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb ‘also/likewise’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• api: also
• api: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle ‘also’

• naivedyam: food offering
• naivedyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conjunction

• sam-ādiśet: should arrange/prescribe
• sam-ādiśet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam- (उपसर्ग) + ā- (उपसर्ग) + diś (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana; parasmaipada; ‘should prescribe/arrange’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Mahadeva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Teaches that Śiva accepts worship proportionate to one’s capacity (yathālābha), emphasizing inner sincerity over display; this aligns with Siddhānta stress on disciplined kriyā as a means toward grace.

Ritual Elements

Offering: naivedya

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It emphasizes disciplined, sincere Śiva-pūjā done within one’s capacity, teaching that devotion expressed through proper offerings purifies the pashu (bound soul) and orients it toward Pati (Śiva).

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

The sequence of dhūpa (incense), dīpa (lamp), and naivedya is a standard completion of saguna upāsanā—treating the Śiva-liṅga as the living presence of Śiva and honoring Him with sensory offerings that culminate in reverent surrender.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform Śiva-pūjā “as available,” then offer incense, light a lamp, and present naivedya; while offering, maintain bhāva and (where customary) recite the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” to steady the mind in devotion.