Shloka 96

ध्यानयोगेन रुद्रदर्शनम् — रुद्रावतार-परिवर्तक्रमः, लकुली (कायावतार), पाशुपतयोगः, लिङ्गार्चन-निष्ठा

Devanagari script

अट्टहासप्रियाश्चैव भविष्यन्ति तदा नराः तत्रैव हिमवत्पृष्ठे अट्टहासो महागिरिः

Transliteration

aṭṭahāsapriyāścaiva bhaviṣyanti tadā narāḥ tatraiva himavatpṛṣṭhe aṭṭahāso mahāgiriḥ

Translation

Then the people there will indeed become devoted to Śiva’s peals of laughter; and on that very back of Himavān stands the great mountain called Aṭṭahāsa, bearing the mark of the Lord’s fear-dispelling laughter.

Word by Word

• अट्टहासप्रियाः: lovers of the loud (divine) laughter

• च एव: and indeed

• भविष्यन्ति: will become/shall be

• तदा: then/at that time

• नराः: people/men

• तत्र एव: right there/indeed in that very place

• हिमवत्पृष्ठे: on the back/slopes of the Himalaya (Himavān)

• अट्टहासः: Aṭṭahāsa (name of the sacred mountain/site

• महागिरिः: great mountain

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Himavan

FAQs

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

It links Shiva-bhakti to a specific Himalayan kṣetra (Aṭṭahāsa), implying that pilgrimage and Linga-pūjā there attune the pashu (soul) to Pati’s grace through remembrance of Shiva’s awe-dispelling presence.

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

By highlighting Aṭṭahāsa—Shiva’s ‘great laughter’—it suggests Shiva-tattva as sovereign freedom (svātantrya) that dissolves fear and bondage (pāśa), drawing beings toward liberation through grace rather than mere austerity.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Kṣetra-smaraṇa and tīrtha-yātrā oriented to Shiva: devotional recollection (nāma/smaraṇa) of the Lord’s Aṭṭahāsa as a Pāśupata-style inner practice to loosen pāśa and stabilize fearlessness in the pashu.