Shloka 17

Adhyaya 33: Pashupata Conduct, Bhasma-Vrata, and Shiva’s Boon to the Sages

Devanagari script

मेघवाहनकृष्णाय गजचर्मनिवासिने कृष्णाजिनोत्तरीयाय व्यालयज्ञोपवीतिने

Transliteration

meghavāhanakṛṣṇāya gajacarmanivāsine kṛṣṇājinottarīyāya vyālayajñopavītine

Translation

Verehrung dem dunkelgefärbten Herrn, der auf der Wolke reitet; der in Elefantenhaut gekleidet ist; der die Haut der schwarzen Antilope als Obergewand trägt; und der die heilige Schnur aus Schlangen trägt.

Word by Word

• मेघ (megha): cloud

• वाहन (vāhana): vehicle/mount

• कृष्णाय (kṛṣṇāya): to the dark-hued One (Shiva)

• गज (gaja): elephant

• चर्म (carma): hide/skin

• निवासिने (nivāsine): to Him who dwells in/wears

• कृष्णाजिन (kṛṣṇājina): black antelope-skin

• उत्तरीयाय (uttarīyāya): to Him whose upper garment is

• व्याल (vyāla): serpent

• यज्ञोपवीतिने (yajñopavītine): to Him who wears the sacred thread

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana’s Purva-Bhaga context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It provides a dhyāna-style iconographic praise that fixes the devotee’s mind on Pati (Shiva) before Linga-pūjā, turning external worship into inward recollection of His transcendent marks.

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

Shiva is shown as the ascetic Lord beyond social convention—wearing elephant-hide and antelope-skin—yet also the Vedic sovereign who bears a yajñopavīta (here as serpents), indicating mastery over fear, death, and the bonds (pāśa) that bind the paśu (soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhyāna (meditative visualization) as part of Shiva-pūjā/Pāśupata orientation—contemplating the Lord’s forms and symbols to steady the mind and orient the paśu toward liberation under Pati.