Shloka 62

उमामहेश्वरव्रतं—पञ्चाक्षरमन्त्रस्य माहात्म्यं, न्यासः, जपविधिः, सदाचारः, विनियोगः

Devanagari script

न्यस्यते यत्तदुत्पत्तिर् विपरीतं तु संहृतिः अङ्गुष्ठादिकनिष्ठान्तं न्यस्यते हस्तयोर् द्वयोः

Transliteration

nyasyate yattadutpattir viparītaṃ tu saṃhṛtiḥ aṅguṣṭhādikaniṣṭhāntaṃ nyasyate hastayor dvayoḥ

Translation

Was durch Nyāsa in der Vorwärtsordnung gesetzt wird, bedeutet utpatti (Emanation, schöpferische Entfaltung des Herrn); die umgekehrte Ordnung bedeutet saṃhṛti (Rückzug, Wiederaufnahme). Vom Daumen bis zum kleinen Finger ist der Nyāsa an beiden Händen zu vollziehen.

Word by Word

• nyasyate: is placed/installed (by ritual nyāsa)

• yat: that which/whatever

• tat: that

• utpattiḥ: origination, manifestation, creation

• viparītam: reversed, in the opposite order

• tu: and/but

• saṃhṛtiḥ: withdrawal, dissolution, reabsorption

• aṅguṣṭha: thumb

• ādi: beginning with

• kaniṣṭhāntaṃ: ending with the little finger

• nyasyate: is to be placed

• hastayoḥ: on the two hands

• dvayoḥ: of both

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Linga-puja and nyasa procedure to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It defines how kara-nyāsa (hand-nyāsa) encodes Shiva’s cosmic functions: forward placement mirrors creation (utpatti) and reverse placement mirrors dissolution (saṃhṛti), making the worshipper’s hands fit instruments for Linga-puja.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as Pati, the Lord who manifests and withdraws the cosmos; nyāsa ritually aligns the practitioner with these powers, pointing to Shiva as both the source and the reabsorbing ground of all tattvas.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Kara-nyāsa: installing mantra-power on the fingers of both hands, in forward or reverse order, as a preparatory discipline for japa and Linga-puja—an internalizing step consistent with Pāśupata-oriented ritual yoga.