Shloka 26

ध्यानयज्ञः, संसार-विष-निरूपणम्, पाशुपतयोगः, परा-अपरा विद्या, चतुर्वस्था-विचारः (अध्यायः ८६)

Devanagari script

पैशाचे राक्षसे दुःखं याक्षे चैव विचारतः गान्धर्वे च तथा चान्द्रे सौम्यलोके द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

paiśāce rākṣase duḥkhaṃ yākṣe caiva vicārataḥ gāndharve ca tathā cāndre saumyaloke dvijottamāḥ

Translation

في عوالم الـPaiśāca والـRākṣasa يوجد العذاب؛ وفي عالم الـYakṣa أيضًا، عند التأمّل، هو كذلك. وفي عالم الـGandharva وكذلك في العالم القمري (Cāndra) الأمر على هذا النحو؛ أمّا في Saumya-loka اللطيف، يا أفضلَ ذوي الولادتين، فالحالُ أيسرُ وأبرك.

Word by Word

• पैशाचे: in the Paiśāca realm

• राक्षसे: in the Rākṣasa realm

• दुःखं: suffering, misery

• याक्षे: in the Yakṣa realm

• च एव: and indeed

• विचारतः: upon consideration, by discernment

• गान्धर्वे: in the Gandharva realm

• च तथा: and likewise

• चान्द्रे: in the lunar (Cāndra) world

• सौम्यलोके: in the Saumya-loka (gentle/benign world)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (address to Brahmins/sages).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana discourse to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Yaksha
• Gandharva
• Chandra (Moon)

FAQs

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

It frames worldly and celestial realms as still within karma-bound experience; Linga worship is implied as a Shaiva means to turn the pashu away from loka-seeking and toward Pati (Shiva), who grants freedom beyond all lokas.

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

By contrasting suffering and limited auspiciousness across realms, the verse points to the Shaiva Siddhanta stance that Shiva-tattva is not a loka but the transcendent Pati—beyond pleasure-pain duality and beyond karmic destinations.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A practice of viveka (discriminative reflection) is explicit (vicārataḥ), aligning with Pashupata-oriented vairagya: discerning the limits of all worlds and directing sadhana toward Shiva through mantra, puja, and inner detachment.