Shloka 107

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

स्वयंभुवो ऽपि वृत्तस्य कालो विश्वात्मनस्तु यः न शक्यः परिसंख्यातुम् अपि वर्षशतैरपि

Transliteration

svayaṃbhuvo 'pi vṛttasya kālo viśvātmanastu yaḥ na śakyaḥ parisaṃkhyātum api varṣaśatairapi

Translation

Selbst die Zeitspanne Svayambhūs (Brahmās) in seinem zyklischen Wirken—jene Zeit (Kāla), die dem universalen Selbst gehört—lässt sich nicht berechnen, selbst wenn man Hunderte von Jahren nur mit dem Zählen verbrächte.

Word by Word

• svayaṃbhuvaḥ: Svayambhū (Brahmā)

• api: even

• vṛttasya: of the ongoing cycle/operation (of creation)

• kālaḥ: Time

• viśvātmanas: of the Universal Self, of the cosmic Spirit

• tu: indeed

• yaḥ: which

• na: not

• śakyaḥ: possible

• parisaṃkhyātum: to enumerate, to compute fully

• api: even

• varṣa-śataiḥ: by hundreds of years

• api: even

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana account to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Kala (Time)
• Vishvatman (Universal Self)

FAQs

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

It establishes that cosmic Time itself is immeasurable; Linga-worship points the devotee (paśu) to Pati, Śiva, who is beyond Kāla and thus beyond the limits of creation’s cycles.

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

By calling Time ‘of the Universal Self’ (viśvātman), the verse implies an all-pervading ground of the cosmos; in Śaiva Siddhānta framing, Śiva as Pati is the transcendent-immanent Lord who governs Kāla yet is not bound by it.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is Pāśupata-oriented vairāgya and meditation: contemplate the immeasurability of Kāla to loosen pāśa (bondage) and stabilize the mind in the timeless Lord signified by the Liṅga.