Shloka 132

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

ओङ्काराय नमस्तुभ्यं चतुर्धा संस्थिताय च गगनेशाय देवाय स्वर्गेशाय नमो नमः

Transliteration

oṅkārāya namastubhyaṃ caturdhā saṃsthitāya ca gaganeśāya devāya svargeśāya namo namaḥ

Translation

Verneigung vor Dir, dem Oṅkāra selbst, der in vierfacher Gestalt gegründet ist. Verneigung, immer wieder, vor dem göttlichen Herrn des Himmels, dem Herrscher des Himmelsreichs.

Word by Word

• ओङ्काराय: to Oṅkāra (the primal sacred syllable/Śiva as praṇava)

• नमस्: salutation

• तुभ्यम्: to You

• चतुर्धा: in fourfold form

• संस्थिताय: abiding/established

• च: and

• गगनेशाय: to the Lord of the firmament (gagana)

• देवाय: to the Deva, the Divine

• स्वर्गेशाय: to the Lord of heaven (svarga)

• नमो नमः: salutations again and again

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating a Śiva-stuti within the Purāṇic discourse to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It identifies Śiva with Oṅkāra (praṇava), implying that Linga-pūjā is rooted in worship of the formless Śiva-tattva expressed as sacred sound and then contemplated in manifest supports (like the Liṅga).

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

Śiva is praised as Oṅkāra—transcendent yet present through a “fourfold” mode of manifestation—showing Pati as both beyond form and accessible through cosmic functions (lordship over sky and heaven).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Praṇava-upāsanā: repeating and meditating on Oṅkāra as Śiva, a Pāśupata-oriented contemplative practice that loosens pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul) by fixing awareness on Pati.