Shloka 21

Adhyaya 89: शौचाचारलक्षणम् — सदाचार, भैक्ष्यचर्या, प्रायश्चित्त, द्रव्यशुद्धि, आशौच-निर्णय

Devanagari script

दधिभक्षाः पयोभक्षा ये चान्ये जीवक्षीणकाः सर्वे ते भैक्ष्यभक्षस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

dadhibhakṣāḥ payobhakṣā ye cānye jīvakṣīṇakāḥ sarve te bhaikṣyabhakṣasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

唯食酪者、唯食乳者，以及诸行耗损生命之苦行者——皆不堪得以乞食为生者功德之十六分之一。此依乞施而行之节制，在主宰帕提——湿婆的恩典下，最能调伏兽魂（paśu）并松解系缚（pāśa）。

Word by Word

• दधि-भक्षाः: curd-eaters

• पयः-भक्षाः: milk-eaters

• ये च अन्ये: and those others

• जीव-क्षीणकाः: who emaciate/waste the vital life-force

• सर्वे ते: all of them

• भैक्ष्य-भक्षस्य: of the one who eats only alms (mendicant fare)

• कलाम्: a fraction/portion

• न अर्हन्ति: do not deserve/are not equal to

• षोडशीम्: the sixteenth part (1/16).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Purana teachings to the sages; verse presents a doctrinal valuation of bhiksha-vrata within Shaiva discipline)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It elevates inner restraint and non-possessiveness—living on bhikṣā—over dietary austerities, implying that true Linga-bhakti is measured by surrender and purity of conduct rather than mere bodily hardship.

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

By implying that Pati (Śiva) favors disciplines that dissolve ego and attachment, it points to Shiva-tattva as the liberating lord who frees the pashu from pasha through renunciation and right practice rather than self-torture.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhikṣā-vrata (living on alms) as a Shaiva/Pāśupata-aligned discipline—supporting vairāgya, humility, and reduced possessiveness, which are prerequisites for effective sādhana and worship.