Shloka 53

व्यपोहनस्तवनिरूपण-प्रसङ्गे नक्तभोजन-शिवव्रतविधिः (वार्षिक-प्रतिमास-क्रमः)

Devanagari script

पक्षयोरुपवासं च चतुर्दश्यष्टमीषु च

Transliteration

pakṣayorupavāsaṃ ca caturdaśyaṣṭamīṣu ca

Translation

亦当于月之两半行持斋戒（upavāsa），尤以第十四日（caturdaśī）与第八日（aṣṭamī）为要——此等修持净化缚魂（paśu），令其心志安定，趋向主宰帕提（Pati）、湿婆大自在。

Word by Word

• पक्षयोः (pakṣayoḥ): in the two fortnights (bright and dark halves of the lunar month)

• उपवासम् (upavāsam): fasting, religious abstinence

• च (ca): and

• चतुर्दशी (caturdaśī): the fourteenth lunar day (often sacred to Śiva)

• अष्टमीषु (aṣṭamīṣu): on the eighth lunar days

• च (ca): also/and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-dharma and vrata-vidhi to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It prescribes upavāsa (fasting) on sacred tithis—especially caturdaśī and aṣṭamī—as a core preparatory discipline that supports purity, restraint, and focused devotion before Linga-pūjā.

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

By directing the practitioner toward regular austerity, it implies Śiva as Pati—the transcendent Lord approached through inner purification, where the paśu becomes fit to receive grace (anugraha) by loosening pāśa (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Upavāsa as vrata/niyama: a Shaiva observance aligned with Pāśupata discipline, using lunar tithis (aṣṭamī, caturdaśī) to stabilize mind and senses for worship and japa.