Shloka 2

दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः

Devanagari script

कथं दारुवनं प्राप्तो भगवान्नीललोहितः विकृतं रूपमास्थाय चोर्ध्वरेता दिगम्बरः

Transliteration

kathaṃ dāruvanaṃ prāpto bhagavānnīlalohitaḥ vikṛtaṃ rūpamāsthāya cordhvaretā digambaraḥ

Translation

Wie gelangte der erhabene Nīlalohita in den Dāruvana-Wald? Er nahm eine seltsame, unkonventionelle Gestalt an: als Asket mit ūrdhva-retas (nach oben gerichteter Samen-/Lebenskraft), als digambara (nackt vor allen Himmelsrichtungen), um die Wahrheit des Pati, des Herrn jenseits weltlicher Bindungen, zu offenbaren.

Word by Word

• कथम्: how?

• दारुवनम्: the forest of Dāruvana (pine/cedar-grove)

• प्राप्तः: reached/arrived

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord

• नीललोहितः: Nīlalohita (the Blue-and-Red Lord, a form of Śiva)

• विकृतम्: altered/strange/unconventional

• रूपम्: form

• आस्थाय: having assumed

• च: and

• ऊर्ध्वरेता: one whose semen/creative power is sublimated upward (brahmacarya-yogic mastery)

• दिगम्बरः: sky-clad, naked, clothed by the quarters

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Nilalohita
• Daruvana

FAQs

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

It introduces Śiva’s Dāruvana līlā, where he appears beyond social and ritual conventions, preparing the ground for understanding that true Linga devotion is directed to Pati (Śiva) who transcends outer forms and purifies the devotee’s bondage (pāśa).

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

Śiva is shown as Bhagavān Nīlalohita—free, self-mastered, and beyond conventional identity—revealing the Lord as Pati who is not limited by worldly norms, yet uses them skillfully to awaken beings.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The term ūrdhva-retas points to brahmacarya and sublimation of vital energy in Pāśupata-oriented yogic discipline—inner mastery supporting liberation of the paśu (soul) from pāśa (bondage).