Shloka 20

देवादिसृष्टिकथनम् (वसिष्ठशोकः, पराशरजन्म, एकलिङ्गपूजा, रुद्रदर्शनम्)

Devanagari script

भो वत्स वत्स विप्रेन्द्र वसिष्ठ सुतवत्सल तव पौत्रमुखाम्भोजाद् ऋग् एषाद्य विनिःसृता

Transliteration

bho vatsa vatsa viprendra vasiṣṭha sutavatsala tava pautramukhāmbhojād ṛg eṣādya viniḥsṛtā

Translation

O liebes Kind—o Bester unter den Brahmanen, o du, der die Söhne Vasiṣṭhas liebevoll behütet—dieser Hymnus der Ṛgveda ist nun aus dem Lotusmund deines Enkels hervorgegangen.

Word by Word

• भो (bho): O!

• वत्स (vatsa): dear child

• वत्स (vatsa): beloved one (repeated for affection)

• विप्रेन्द्र (viprendra): best among Brahmins/sages

• वसिष्ठ (vasiṣṭha): Vasiṣṭha (the great seer)

• सुतवत्सल (sutavatsala): affectionate toward one’s sons/offspring

• तव (tava): your

• पौत्र (pautra): grandson’s

• मुखाम्भोजात् (mukhāmbhojāt): from the lotus-like mouth

• ऋक् (ṛk): a Ṛg-vedic verse/hymn

• एषा (eṣā): this

• अद्य (adya): today/now

• विनिःसृता (viniḥsṛtā): has flowed forth/has emerged.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the internal dialogue of sages)

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Ṛgveda

FAQs

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

It grounds Śiva-upāsanā in Vedic mantra-pramāṇa: the hymn’s emergence through a sanctified lineage implies that Linga-pūjā is sustained by revealed sound (śruti) and proper recitation.

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

By highlighting ṛk (Vedic sound) arising as a living power, the verse points to Śiva as Pati who is accessed through mantra-śakti—sound that purifies the paśu (individual soul) and loosens pāśa (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Vedic svādhyāya and mantra-japa: disciplined recitation/transmission of Ṛg-mantras as a core limb supporting Śaiva pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented purification.