Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

देवकार्योपयुक्तानां प्रत्यहं शौचमिष्यते इतरेषां हि वस्त्राणां शौचं कार्यं मलागमे

Transliteration

devakāryopayuktānāṃ pratyahaṃ śaucamiṣyate itareṣāṃ hi vastrāṇāṃ śaucaṃ kāryaṃ malāgame

Translation

凡用于神圣仪式之衣服，当日日行净化。其余衣物，则于染著不净、污秽之时，方当净治。

Word by Word

• देव-कार्य-उपयुक्तानाम्: of those (garments) fit for/used in divine ritual acts

• प्रत्यहम्: every day

• शौचम्: purification, ritual cleanliness

• इष्यते: is prescribed/approved

• इतरेषाम्: of the others

• हि: indeed

• वस्त्राणाम्: of clothes/garments

• शौचम्: cleansing

• कार्यम्: to be done

• मल-आगमे: upon the arrival/contact of dirt/impurity (when soiled).

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It sets a core puja standard: items dedicated to deva-kārya (especially Linga-puja) require daily śauca, preserving ritual sanctity and steadiness (nitya-ācāra) in devotion to Pati (Shiva).

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

By prescribing disciplined purity around worship, it implies Shiva as Pati—supremely pure and the purifier—approached through ordered conduct where outer cleanliness supports inner orientation of the paśu toward liberation from pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Śauca (purificatory discipline): daily cleansing of worship-cloths for deva-kārya, and conditional cleansing for ordinary garments—an external aid aligned with Pāśupata-informed sādhana and puja-niyama.