Shloka 14

यतिप्रायश्चित्तविधानम्

Ascetic Atonements and Discipline

Devanagari script

एवं कृत्वा सुदुष्टात्मा भिन्नवृत्तो व्रताच्च्युतः भूयो निर्वेदमापन्नश् चरेच्चान्द्रायणं व्रतम्

Transliteration

evaṃ kṛtvā suduṣṭātmā bhinnavṛtto vratāccyutaḥ bhūyo nirvedamāpannaś careccāndrāyaṇaṃ vratam

Translation

既已如此行事，那心意败坏之人——行持破裂、堕离誓戒（vrata）者——应当再以真切悔恨，修行“月行戒”（Cāndrāyaṇa）以作忏悔。由此令束缚之灵（paśu）渐松系缚（pāśa），复归趋向主宰（Pati）湿婆之道。

Word by Word

• evaṃ: thus/in this manner

• kṛtvā: having done

• su-duṣṭa-ātmā: one of very wicked/corrupted mind

• bhinna-vṛttaḥ: whose conduct/observance is broken

• vrata-āt-cyutaḥ: fallen from the vow

• bhūyaḥ: again

• nirvedam āpannaḥ: having attained remorse/dispassion (repentance)

• caret: should practice/undertake

• cāndrāyaṇam: the Cāndrāyaṇa expiatory observance (moon-related fasting discipline)

• vratam: vow/penance

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating śāstric injunctions within the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that lapses in vrata connected to Shiva-dharma are not the end; through prescribed expiation like Cāndrāyaṇa, the devotee regains ritual and inner eligibility to continue Linga-oriented worship with purity.

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

Shiva is implied as Pati—the liberating Lord—toward whom the paśu returns by removing pāśa (impurity and demerit) through remorse and disciplined penance, aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta’s purification-to-grace trajectory.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata is highlighted—an expiatory, moon-phased discipline of regulated intake and restraint—used as prāyaścitta to restore broken observances and re-establish self-control supportive of Shaiva sādhanā.