Shloka 12

आभ्यन्तरध्यान-तत्त्वगणना-चतुर्व्यूहयोगः

Adhyaya 28

Devanagari script

सनत्कुमार उवाच कर्ता यदि महादेवः परमात्मा महेश्वरः तथा कारयिता चैव कुर्वतो ऽल्पात्मनस् तथा

Transliteration

sanatkumāra uvāca kartā yadi mahādevaḥ paramātmā maheśvaraḥ tathā kārayitā caiva kurvato 'lpātmanas tathā

Translation

Sanatkumāra sprach: Wenn Mahādeva—das höchste Selbst, der große Herr Mahēśvara—wahrhaft der eigentliche Täter ist, dann ist Er allein auch der, der das Handeln bewirkt, selbst wenn das begrenzte Selbst meint: „Ich handle.“

Word by Word

• सनत्कुमारः: Sanatkumāra

• उवाच: said

• कर्ता: the doer/agent

• यदि: if

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Śiva)

• परमात्मा: the Supreme Self

• महेश्वरः: the Great Lord

• तथा: then/likewise

• कारयिता: the causer/impeller (one who makes another act)

• च एव: and indeed

• कुर्वतः: of one who is acting/doing

• अल्पात्मनः: of the small/limited self (pāśu)

• तथा: likewise/also

Speaker

Sanatkumara

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Mahadeva)
• Paramatma
• Maheshvara

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-pūjā in surrender of doership: the devotee offers action and its fruits to Pati (Śiva), recognizing the pāśu’s limited agency as dependent on the Lord who impels all acts.

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

Śiva is affirmed as both kartā (the true agent) and kārayitā (the inner impeller), indicating His supremacy as Pati—transcendent yet immanent in all beings as the power behind action.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is Pāśupata-oriented inner renunciation of “I am the doer,” aligning karma with Śiva through offering (ārpaṇa) and meditative discernment that the limited self acts only by the Lord’s enabling.