Shloka 52

Varaha-Pradurbhava Context: Prahlada’s Bhakti, Narasimha’s Ugra-Form, and Shiva’s Sharabha Intervention

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणे ब्रह्मरूपाय नमः साक्षाच्छिवाय ते सर्वविष्णुर्नृसिंहस्य रूपमास्थाय विश्वकृत्

Transliteration

brahmaṇe brahmarūpāya namaḥ sākṣācchivāya te sarvaviṣṇurnṛsiṃhasya rūpamāsthāya viśvakṛt

Translation

سلامٌ وسجودٌ لكَ—يا شِيفَا (Śiva) نفسَه، المتجلّي في صورة بْرَهْمَا (Brahmā)، صورة البْرَهْمَن (Brahman) عينِها. أنتَ فِشْنُو (Viṣṇu) الساري في كلّ شيء؛ وباتّخاذك هيئة نَرَسِمْهَا (Narasiṁha) أنتَ صانعُ الكون وخالقه.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणे: to Brahma / to the Brahman-principle

• ब्रह्मरूपाय: whose form is Brahman / who appears as Brahma

• नमः: salutations

• साक्षात्: directly, in truth

• छिवाय/शिवाय: to Shiva, the auspicious Lord

• ते: to You

• सर्वविष्णुः: the all-pervading Vishnu / Vishnu in totality

• नृसिंहस्य: of Narasiṁha

• रूपम्: form

• आस्थाय: having assumed, taking refuge in

• विश्वकृत्: creator/maker of the world

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana; verse functions as a stuti/hymnic identification of Shiva with Brahma-Vishnu forms)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Narasimha

FAQs

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

It establishes that the Linga signifies Shiva as the supreme Pati who appears as Brahma (creation) and Vishnu (preservation), so Linga-puja is worship of the one Reality behind all divine functions.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as sाक्षात् (directly real) and all-inclusive: the same Lord manifests as Brahma, pervades as Vishnu, and even assumes Narasiṁha—showing that forms are expressions of one sovereign consciousness.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is contemplative upasana: in puja and in Pashupata-oriented meditation, the practitioner (pashu) should recognize the one Pati as the inner Self of all deities, dissolving pasha (limited identification with names and forms).