Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 35

आवरणपूजाविधानम् / The Procedure of Āvaraṇa (Enclosure) Worship

Devanagari script

राजावसथवत्कल्प्यं शिल्पशास्त्रोक्तलक्षणम् । उच्चप्राकारसंभिन्नं भूधराकारगोपुरम्

Transliteration

rājāvasathavatkalpyaṃ śilpaśāstroktalakṣaṇam | uccaprākārasaṃbhinnaṃ bhūdharākāragopuram

Translation

它的建造应当如同皇室宫殿，具备神圣建筑典籍中所规定的特征；由高耸的城墙环绕，并配有山形的门塔——这与为主所设的庄严居所相称。

Word by Word

• rājāvasatha-vat: like a royal residence
• rājāvasatha-vat: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: rājāvasatha (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), उपमानवाचक (comparative adverbial)

• kalpyam: to be constructed/arranged
• kalpyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kḷp (धातु) + ya (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थक, here -य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); विधेय-विशेषण (to be made)

• śilpa-śāstra-ukta-lakṣaṇam: having characteristics stated in the śilpa-śāstra
• śilpa-śāstra-ukta-lakṣaṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śilpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

• ucca-prākāra-saṃbhinnam: enclosed/fortified with a high wall/rampart
• ucca-prākāra-saṃbhinnam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ucca (प्रातिपदिक) + prākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhinna (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण

• bhūdhara-ākāra-gopuram: a gateway-tower shaped like a mountain
• bhūdhara-ākāra-gopuram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūdhara (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + gopura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (singular)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: The prāsāda built per śilpa-śāstra is a stabilized ‘field’ for daily worship and communal dharma—supporting sthiti (order/preservation) in the devotee’s life and society.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse teaches that Shiva’s sacred abode should be established with order, dignity, and scriptural precision—outer architectural harmony supporting inner devotional steadiness, so worship becomes a disciplined path toward grace and liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By prescribing a palace-like, well-fortified temple with a grand gopura, it frames Linga-worship as Saguna devotion in a consecrated environment—honoring Shiva’s manifest presence while guiding the devotee toward the higher, transcendent reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Follow śāstric discipline: keep the shrine properly ordered and protected, enter through the gopura with reverence, and perform Linga-pūjā with mantra—especially the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a steady daily practice.