Shloka 7

आभ्यन्तरध्यान-तत्त्वगणना-चतुर्व्यूहयोगः

Adhyaya 28

Devanagari script

इह षड्विंशको ध्येयो ध्याता वै पञ्चविंशकः चतुर्विंशकम् अव्यक्तं महदाद्यास्तु सप्त च

Transliteration

iha ṣaḍviṃśako dhyeyo dhyātā vai pañcaviṃśakaḥ caturviṃśakam avyaktaṃ mahadādyāstu sapta ca

Translation

Hier ist das sechsundzwanzigste Prinzip als Gegenstand der Meditation (dhyeya) zu betrachten, während das fünfundzwanzigste wahrlich der Meditierende (dhyātṛ) ist. Das vierundzwanzigste ist das Unmanifestierte (avyakta), und die sieben, beginnend mit Mahat, sind als weitere Entfaltungen zu verstehen.

Word by Word

• iha: here (in this teaching)

• ṣaḍviṃśakaḥ: the twenty-sixth tattva (the Supreme beyond Prakṛti–Puruṣa, understood as Pati/Īśvara in a Śaiva reading)

• dhyeyaḥ: to be meditated upon, the object of contemplation

• dhyātā: the meditator, contemplator

• vai: indeed

• pañcaviṃśakaḥ: the twenty-fifth tattva (puruṣa/jīva as the experiencer—pashu in bondage)

• caturviṃśakam: the twenty-fourth tattva

• avyaktaṃ: the unmanifest, primal nature (prakṛti)

• mahat-ādyāḥ: beginning with Mahat (cosmic intellect)

• tu: and/indeed

• sapta: seven

• ca: also

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the doctrinal teaching within the Purva-Bhaga context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-upāsanā as tattva-dhyāna: the devotee (pashu) turns from Prakṛti’s evolutes toward the 26th principle—Śiva as Pati—making worship an inward ascent from the unmanifest and its products to the Lord.

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

By indicating a 26th principle as the proper object of meditation beyond the 25th (puruṣa/jīva) and the 24th (prakṛti), it points to Śiva as transcendent Pati—distinct from pashu and pasha, the supreme reality to be realized.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative Pāśupata-style practice: discriminate tattvas (prakṛti and its evolutes), recognize oneself as the meditator (puruṣa/pashu), and fix meditation on the supreme dhyeya—Śiva/Pati as the 26th principle.