Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

बृहत्त्वाद् बृंहणत्वाच्च भावानां सकलाश्रयात् यस्माद्धारयते भावान् ब्रह्म तेन निरुच्यते

Transliteration

bṛhattvād bṛṃhaṇatvācca bhāvānāṃ sakalāśrayāt yasmāddhārayate bhāvān brahma tena nirucyate

Translation

Weil Es unermeßlich weit ist, weil Es Ausdehnung und Wachstum bewirkt, und weil Es die universale Zuflucht aller Seienden ist—da Es alle Wesen trägt und erhält—wird Es daher Brahman genannt.

Word by Word

• बृहत्त्वात् (bṛhattvāt): from vastness, greatness

• बृंहणत्वात् (bṛṃhaṇatvāt): from the power of expanding/nourishing

• च (ca): and

• भावानाम् (bhāvānām): of beings, existents, states of manifestation

• सकल-आश्रयात् (sakala-āśrayāt): because of being the support/refuge of all

• यस्मात् (yasmāt): because/since

• धारयते (dhārayate): upholds, sustains, bears

• भावान् (bhāvān): beings, manifested entities

• ब्रह्म (brahma): Brahman, the supreme sustaining principle

• तेन (tena): therefore, by that reason

• निरुच्यते (nirucyate): is explained/defined/etymologically stated.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the doctrinal explanation to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahman

FAQs

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

It frames the object of worship as the all-supporting, all-pervading Reality—what the Linga signifies: the sustaining Pati who upholds every manifested bhāva, making Linga-pūjā a contemplation of the cosmic support behind all forms.

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

In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, the qualities of vastness, expansion, and universal support align with Shiva as Pati: the supreme Lord who sustains the cosmos while remaining the transcendent ground in which all bhāvas abide.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse primarily supports jñāna-oriented upāsanā: during Linga-pūjā or Pāśupata contemplation, one meditates on the Lord as the dhāraka (sustainer) of all beings, loosening pāśa (bondage) by recognizing the Pati as the inner support.