Shloka 11

Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च

Devanagari script

सहस्रशीर्षा विश्वात्मा सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् सहस्रबाहुः सर्वज्ञः सर्वदेवभवोद्भवः

Transliteration

sahasraśīrṣā viśvātmā sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt sahasrabāhuḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvadevabhavodbhavaḥ

Translation

He is the Thousand-headed One, the Soul of the universe, with a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. With a thousand arms He is omniscient—the primordial source from whom the very existence and arising of all the gods proceed.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-शीर्षा: thousand-headed (infinite-headed)

• विश्व-आत्मा: the Self/Soul of the universe

• सहस्र-अक्षः: thousand-eyed (all-seeing)

• सहस्र-पात्: thousand-footed (all-pervading)

• सहस्र-बाहुः: thousand-armed (of limitless power)

• सर्व-ज्ञः: omniscient

• सर्व-देव-भव-उद्भवः: the source of the becoming/origin of all gods

Speaker

Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the glory and all-pervasive nature of Pati—Śiva—as revealed in the Liṅga manifestation account)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the Liṅga as the sign of Pati’s boundless, all-pervading reality—worship is directed not to a limited form, but to Śiva as the cosmic source and inner Self of all.

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

Śiva is presented as viśvātmā (the universal Self), sarvajña (omniscient), and the causal ground from which even the devas arise—distinct from pashu (souls) and the pasha (bondages) that limit them.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is contemplative Liṅga-upāsanā aligned with Pāśupata orientation: meditating on Śiva’s all-seeing, all-pervading presence to loosen pasha and reorient the pashu toward Pati.