Shloka 199

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

ततस्तु युञ्जतस्तस्य तमोमात्रसमुद्भवम् समभिध्यायतः सर्गं प्रयत्नेन प्रजापतेः

Transliteration

tatastu yuñjatastasya tamomātrasamudbhavam samabhidhyāyataḥ sargaṃ prayatnena prajāpateḥ

Translation

ثمّ حين اجتهد ذلك البراجاپتي في يوغاٍ مركّزة وتأمّل الخلق بعزم، نشأت — من مبدأ التامس وحده — مرحلةُ التجلّي المظلمة الثقيلة، المولودة من الخمول.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• tu: indeed/now

• yuñjataḥ: of one who is yoking (the mind), practicing yoga

• tasya: of him

• tamomātra-samudbhavam: arisen from tamas alone (the sheer tamasic principle)

• samabhidhyāyataḥ: of one who was intensely meditating/contemplating

• sargam: creation, the act/process of emanation

• prayatnena: with effort, by exertion

• prajāpateḥ: of Prajāpati (the progenitor, here Brahmā as creator)

Speaker

Suta (narrating the cosmogony to the sages, describing Prajapati/Brahma’s creative meditation)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Prajapati

FAQs

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

It frames creation as emerging through meditative concentration and guna-dynamics; in Linga worship, the devotee turns from tamasic inertia (pāśa) toward the Pati, Shiva, who is beyond the guṇas and grants purification.

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

By implying that even Prajāpati’s creation proceeds through limited, tamas-born manifestation, it points to Shiva-tattva as the transcendent ground: Pati is not a product of tamas, but the liberating consciousness before and beyond such evolutes.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhyāna-yoga (focused contemplation) is highlighted—creative “yoking” of the mind; for Pāśupata-oriented practice, it suggests disciplined meditation to overcome tamas and loosen the soul’s bonds (pāśa).