Shloka 8

Vighneshvara-Prashna and Deva-Krita Shiva-Stava

Adhyaya 104

Devanagari script

अनघाय विरिञ्चाय देव्याः कार्यार्थदायिने अकायायार्थकायाय हरेः कायापहारिणे

Transliteration

anaghāya viriñcāya devyāḥ kāryārthadāyine akāyāyārthakāyāya hareḥ kāyāpahāriṇe

Translation

سلامٌ للمنزَّه عن الإثم؛ سلامٌ لفيرينچا (براهما)؛ سلامٌ لمن يمنح الإلهةَ القدرةَ على إنجاز مقصدها؛ سلامٌ للربّ الذي لا جسد له، ومع ذلك يتخذ هيئةً ذات معنى لأجل الكائنات؛ وسلامٌ لمن يسحب ويستوعب حتى الحالةَ المتجسدة لهاري (فيشنو).

Word by Word

• anaghāya: to the sinless, stainless One

• viriñcāya: to Viriñca, i.e., Brahmā

• devyāḥ: of the Goddess (Śakti/Devī)

• kārya-artha-dāyine: to the giver of the means and success for accomplishing an intended work

• akāyāya: to the bodiless, formless One

• artha-kāyāya: to Him whose ‘body/form’ is purposeful/meaningful (assumed for a divine aim)

• hareḥ: of Hari (Viṣṇu)

• kāya-apahāriṇe: to the remover/withdrawer of bodily embodiment (absorber at dissolution).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a received stuti within the Purva-Bhaga context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Brahma
• Devi
• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga-theology: Śiva is akāya (beyond form) yet manifests artha-kāya (purposeful form) for grace—precisely the logic by which the Linga is worshipped as the formless made accessible.

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

Śiva-tattva is presented as stainless (anagha), transcendent (akāya), and sovereign over cosmic offices—empowering Devī’s function and even withdrawing Hari’s embodied state—showing Him as Pati, the supreme regulator of manifestation and dissolution.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key takeaway aligns with Pāśupata orientation: meditate on the bodiless Pati who assumes form for the devotee’s uplift and who ultimately removes embodiment (kāyāpahāri), supporting practices of Linga-pūjā with inner detachment and dissolution-oriented contemplation.