Shloka 30

योगान्तरायाः, औपसर्गिकसिद्धयः, परवैराग्येन शैवप्रसादः

Devanagari script

स्थूलता ह्रस्वता बाल्यं वार्धक्यं यौवनं तथा नानाजातिस्वरूपं च चतुर्भिर् देहधारणम्

Transliteration

sthūlatā hrasvatā bālyaṃ vārdhakyaṃ yauvanaṃ tathā nānājātisvarūpaṃ ca caturbhir dehadhāraṇam

Translation

Fülle und Kleinheit, Kindheit, Alter und Jugend, sowie Gestalten vieler Arten — dies sind die vier Weisen, in denen die Seele einen Leib annimmt, unter der Herrschaft Patis (Śiva) und gemäß den Fesseln (pāśa) des Karma.

Word by Word

• स्थूलता (sthūlatā): corpulence, grossness

• ह्रस्वता (hrasvatā): shortness, smallness

• बाल्यम् (bālyam): childhood

• वार्धक्यम् (vārdhakyam): old age

• यौवनम् (yauvanam): youth

• तथा (tathā): and also

• नानाजाति-स्वरूपम् (nānājāti-svarūpam): forms of many species/kinds

• च (ca): and

• चतुर्भिः (caturbhiḥ): by fourfold (modes/categories)

• देह-धारणम् (deha-dhāraṇam): assumption/bearing of a body, embodiment

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames embodiment as a governed process shaped by pāśa (bondage/karma); Linga worship orients the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Śiva) to loosen bondage and transcend merely bodily conditions like age, size, and species-form.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the regulating Lord beyond bodily modifications—while the soul undergoes changing states (bālya, yauvana, vārdhakya) and species-forms due to karmic limitation, highlighting Śiva’s transcendence and governance.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports Pāśupata-oriented vairāgya and self-inquiry: recognizing bodily states as transient effects of pāśa, the practitioner turns to Śiva through Linga-pūjā and disciplined yoga to seek liberation from transmigratory embodiment.