Shloka 20

प्रसाद-ज्ञान-योग-मोक्षक्रमः तथा व्यास-रुद्रावतार-मन्वन्तर-परम्परा

Devanagari script

असंख्याता हि कल्पेषु विभोः सर्वान्तरेषु च कलौ रुद्रावताराणां व्यासानां किल गौरवात्

Transliteration

asaṃkhyātā hi kalpeṣu vibhoḥ sarvāntareṣu ca kalau rudrāvatārāṇāṃ vyāsānāṃ kila gauravāt

Translation

Wahrlich, durch unzählige Kalpas hindurch und in jeder Manvantara des allgegenwärtigen Herrn gibt es unzählige Herabkünfte Rudras und ebenso unzählige Vyāsas, denn ihre Größe ist jenseits allen Maßes.

Word by Word

• असंख्याता: innumerable

• हि: indeed

• कल्पेषु: in (various) kalpas

• विभोः: of the all-pervading Lord (Pati)

• सर्वान्तरेषु: in all intervals/within all (manvantaras)

• च: and

• कलौ: likewise/also (in due course, in every age)

• रुद्रावताराणाम्: of the incarnations/manifestations of Rudra

• व्यासानाम्: of the Vyasas (compilers of revelation)

• किल: it is said/indeed

• गौरवात्: due to greatness/majestic eminence.

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra
• Vyasa

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-worship in a timeless Shaiva cosmology: Rudra’s manifestations recur through kalpas and manvantaras, so devotion to the Linga is not tied to a single historical moment but to the ever-present Pati (Shiva) who repeatedly reveals grace for the liberation of pashus.

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

Shiva is indicated as Vibhū—pervasive and sovereign (Pati)—whose divine agency continues through endless cosmic cycles, expressing itself as Rudra-avatāras and as the guiding intelligence behind revelation’s organization through Vyasas.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No single rite is prescribed in this verse; the takeaway is doctrinal: Pashupata-oriented practice rests on confidence in recurring divine descent and scriptural transmission—Rudra’s grace and the Vyasa lineage sustain sadhana across ages.