Shloka 4

प्रलय-तत्त्वलयः, नीललोहित-रुद्रः, अष्टमूर्तिस्तवः, एवं ब्रह्मणो वैराग्यम्

Devanagari script

अहङ्कारमनुप्राप्य प्रलीनास्तत्क्षणादहो अभिमानस्तदा तत्र महान्तं व्याप्य वै क्षणात्

Transliteration

ahaṅkāramanuprāpya pralīnāstatkṣaṇādaho abhimānastadā tatra mahāntaṃ vyāpya vai kṣaṇāt

Translation

Nachdem sie den Ahaṅkāra (das Ich‑Prinzip) erreicht hatten, lösten sie sich im selben Augenblick darin auf. Dann durchdrang dort sogleich Abhimāna (das Gefühl von „ich“ und „mein“) in einem Moment den Mahat (kosmische Intelligenz).

Word by Word

• अहङ्कारम्: the ego-principle (ahaṅkāra-tattva)

• अनुप्राप्य: having reached/attained

• प्रलीनाः: dissolved/merged

• तत्क्षणात्: at that very moment

• अहो: indeed/alas (exclamation)

• अभिमानः: self-identification, possessive ‘I’-sense

• तदा: then

• तत्र: there/in that principle

• महान्तम्: Mahat, cosmic intellect (buddhi-tattva)

• व्याप्य: pervading

• वै: indeed

• क्षणात्: in an instant.

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the sṛṣṭi-tattva sequence to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Mahat
• Ahaṅkāra

FAQs

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

It points to the root of bondage—abhimāna arising with ahaṅkāra and covering Mahat; Linga-worship is a Shaiva method to purify this egoic identification so the pashu (soul) turns toward Pati (Śiva) rather than pasha (bondage).

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

By showing how abhimāna rapidly pervades the inner principle (Mahat), the verse implies that liberation requires a higher, transcendent Pati beyond these evolutes—Śiva-tattva as the unbound Lord who is not limited by ahaṅkāra or its pervasions.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The yogic takeaway is ego-dissolution: in Pāśupata-oriented practice, one observes and sublates abhimāna through mantra-japa, dhyāna on the Liṅga, and discrimination (viveka) between Pati (Śiva) and the tattvas that constitute pasha.