Shloka 21

ययातिना पूरौ राज्याभिषेकः, दिक्प्रदानं, तृष्णा-वैराग्योपदेशः, वनप्रवेशः च

Devanagari script

यो ऽसौ प्राणान्तिको रोगस् तां तृष्णां त्यजतः सुखम् जीर्यन्ति जीर्यतः केशा दन्ता जीर्यन्ति जीर्यतः

Transliteration

yo 'sau prāṇāntiko rogas tāṃ tṛṣṇāṃ tyajataḥ sukham jīryanti jīryataḥ keśā dantā jīryanti jīryataḥ

Translation

此渴爱（tṛṣṇā）乃是逼近命终之病；能舍离者，得安宁。岁月流逝，发亦衰老；岁月流逝，齿亦衰老——万物皆随衰败而衰败。

Word by Word

• yaḥ: which

• asau: indeed/that very

• prāṇāntikaḥ: ending in the loss of life, life-terminating

• rogaḥ: disease

• tām: that

• tṛṣṇām: thirst/craving

• tyajataḥ: of one who abandons

• sukham: happiness, ease, peace

• jīryanti: they decay/age

• jīryataḥ: as (one/it) ages, with aging

• keśāḥ: hairs

• dantāḥ: teeth

• api (implied): also

• sarvam (implied): everything

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating teachings within the Purva-Bhaga context to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It frames tṛṣṇā (craving) as a primary pāśa (bond) that must be relinquished; Linga worship is thereby oriented not only to outer ritual but to inner purification, making the pashu fit for Pati (Shiva).

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

By contrasting universal decay with the peace gained through renunciation, it implies Shiva-tattva as the deathless ground beyond change—Pati who grants freedom from the life-ending disease of craving.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Vairāgya as a core limb of Pashupata discipline: abandoning tṛṣṇā, contemplating impermanence, and stabilizing the mind so that japa, dhyāna, and Linga-upāsanā become liberative rather than desire-driven.