Shloka 17

Adhyaya 34: भस्ममहात्म्यं—अग्नीषोमात्मक-शिवतत्त्वं तथा पाशुपतव्रतप्रशंसा

Devanagari script

तत्सर्वं दहते भस्म यथाग्निस्तेजसा वनम् तस्माद् यत्नपरो भूत्वा त्रिकालमपि यः सदा

Transliteration

tatsarvaṃ dahate bhasma yathāgnistejasā vanam tasmād yatnaparo bhūtvā trikālamapi yaḥ sadā

Translation

此等（湿婆行持）能将一切焚为灰烬，如火以自身炽力吞尽森林。是故当勤策精进，于一日三时交会之际，恒常修持此行。

Word by Word

• tat-sarvam: all that (pāpa/impurities/bondages)

• dahate: burns up

• bhasma: into ash

• yathā: just as

• agniḥ: fire

• tejasā: by (its) radiance/power

• vanam: a forest

• tasmāt: therefore

• yatna-paraḥ: devoted to effort/discipline

• bhūtvā: having become

• tri-kālam api: even at the three times (morning, noon, evening)

• yaḥ: whoever/one who

• sadā: always, continually

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s Shaiva discipline to the sages of Naimisharanya, echoing the Purana’s internal teaching tradition)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Agni

FAQs

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

It teaches that regular trikāla (thrice-daily) Shaiva observance—centered on Linga-upāsanā and disciplined effort—destroys accumulated pāpa and loosens pāśa (bondage), making worship transformative rather than merely formal.

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

By comparing the effect of practice to fire’s innate power, it implies Shiva as Pati whose śakti burns impurity: when the pashu (soul) aligns with Shiva’s ordinance through sādhana, obscurations are reduced like a forest to ash.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Trikāla-sandhyā style discipline—steady effort and regular daily observance—typical of Pāśupata-ācāra, often expressed through Linga-pūjā, mantra-japa, and bhasma-related purity symbolism.