Shloka 66

Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च

Devanagari script

सौवर्णमभवच्चाण्डम् आवेष्ट्याद्यं तदक्षरम् अनेकाब्दं तथा चाप्सु दिव्यमण्डं व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

sauvarṇamabhavaccāṇḍam āveṣṭyādyaṃ tadakṣaram anekābdaṃ tathā cāpsu divyamaṇḍaṃ vyavasthitam

Translation

ثم أُحيط ذلك المبدأ الأوّل غير الفاني، فكان بيضٌ كونيٌّ ذهبيّ. ولِسنين كثيرة لبث مستقراً في المياه، قائماً ككرةٍ إلهيّة—حِجاباً منظَّماً لانبساط الخلق تحت سيادة الربّ پَتي.

Word by Word

• सौवर्णम्: golden

• अभवत्: became/arose

• चाण्डम्: cosmic egg (brahmāṇḍa)

• आवेष्ट्य: having enclosed/encasing

• आद्यम्: primordial/first

• तत्: that

• अक्षरम्: imperishable (akṣara, the unchanging principle)

• अनेकाब्दम्: for many years/ages

• तथा: and thus

• च: also

• अप्सु: in the waters

• दिव्यमण्डम्: divine sphere/orb/circle

• व्यवस्थितम्: established, settled in order

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-worship in cosmology: the Linga’s “akṣara” (imperishable) reality precedes manifestation and becomes the womb-like enclosure from which ordered creation unfolds.

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

Shiva is implied as the Akṣara—unchanging and prior to time—within whom the cosmic order is contained; as Pati, He remains transcendent while enabling the appearance of the world-egg in the primal waters.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is contemplative—meditating on the Linga as the Akṣara (nirvikāra reality) that contains and regulates manifestation, aligning the yogin toward Pati beyond Pāśa.