Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

किमिदं त्विति संचिन्त्य मया तिष्ठन्महास्वनम् लिङ्गस्य दक्षिणे भागे तदापश्यत्सनातनम्

Transliteration

kimidaṃ tviti saṃcintya mayā tiṣṭhanmahāsvanam liṅgasya dakṣiṇe bhāge tadāpaśyatsanātanam

Translation

Ich dachte: „Was ist dies wahrlich?“, und stand da, lauschend jenem gewaltigen Widerhall; da erblickte ich an der Südseite des Liṅga den Ewigen—Pati (Śiva), die anfangslose Wirklichkeit jenseits allen Verfalls.

Word by Word

• kim: what

• idam: this

• tu: indeed

• iti: thus

• saṃcintya: having reflected/thought

• mayā: by me

• tiṣṭhan: standing

• mahā-svanam: the great sound/reverberation

• liṅgasya: of the Linga

• dakṣiṇe bhāge: on the southern portion/side

• tadā: then

• apaśyat: (I) saw

• sanātanam: the Eternal/Ancient One (Shiva as Pati).

Speaker

Brahma (within Suta's narration)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Sanatana/Pati)
• Linga

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as a revelatory axis: the devotee (here, Brahma) moves from wonder and the experience of mahāsvana (sacred reverberation) to direct darśana of the Sanātana Pati, showing the Linga as the doorway to Shiva’s self-disclosure.

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

Shiva is indicated as Sanātana—eternal, beginningless Pati—who is not merely a form within creation but the abiding reality that can be directly known when the bonds (pāśa) of confusion are loosened by insight.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes attentive stillness and contemplation in the presence of the Linga, with mahāsvana suggesting nāda as an inner sign; this aligns with Shaiva contemplative practice where focused awareness leads to Shiva-darśana.