Shloka 29

Adhyaya 23: श्वेत-लोहित-पीत-कृष्ण-विश्व-कल्पेषु रुद्रस्वरूप-गायत्री-तत्त्ववर्णनम्

Devanagari script

भूतग्रामाश् च चत्वार आश्रमाश् च तथैव च धर्मस्य पादाश्चत्वारश् चत्वारो मम पुत्रकाः

Transliteration

bhūtagrāmāś ca catvāra āśramāś ca tathaiva ca dharmasya pādāścatvāraś catvāro mama putrakāḥ

Translation

Die vier Klassen der Wesen, die vier Āśramas ebenso, und die vier Füße des Dharma — diese vierfachen Gefüge werden als meine Söhne verkündet.

Word by Word

• bhūta-grāmāḥ: groups/classes of beings

• ca: and

• catvāraḥ: four

• āśramāḥ: the stages of life (brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, saṃnyāsa)

• ca: and

• tathā eva: likewise/indeed

• dharmasya: of Dharma (cosmic-ethical order)

• pādāḥ: feet/pillars

• catvāraḥ: four

• catvāraḥ: (these) fourfold (sets)

• mama: my

• putrakāḥ: sons/emanations

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s teaching lineage to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Dharma

FAQs

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

It frames Linga worship within Shiva’s governance of cosmic order: creation (bhūta-grāma), disciplined life (āśrama), and Dharma’s stability are treated as Shiva-origin principles, so Linga-pūjā is not isolated ritual but alignment with that order.

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

Shiva is implied as Pati—the sovereign source whose emanations structure both the living cosmos and the moral-spiritual path; the “sons” language points to dependent realities (pashu and world-order) arising under the Lord’s supremacy.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights āśrama-dharma as a Shaiva sādhanā framework: disciplined conduct and duty become supportive limbs for purification of the pashu, making one fit for deeper Pāśupata-oriented worship and contemplation of the Linga.