Shloka 23

प्रलय-तत्त्वलयः, नीललोहित-रुद्रः, अष्टमूर्तिस्तवः, एवं ब्रह्मणो वैराग्यम्

Devanagari script

मृणालतन्तुभागैकशतभागे व्यवस्थितम् यमी यमविशुद्धात्मा नियम्यैवं हृदीश्वरम्

Transliteration

mṛṇālatantubhāgaikaśatabhāge vyavasthitam yamī yamaviśuddhātmā niyamyaivaṃ hṛdīśvaram

Translation

Having restrained himself, the disciplined yogin—purified within by yama—should thus regulate and contemplate Hṛdīśvara, the Lord abiding in the heart, as stationed in a space as subtle as one hundredth of a single fiber of a lotus-stalk.

Word by Word

• मृणाल (mṛṇāla): lotus-stalk

• तन्तु (tantu): fiber/filament

• भाग (bhāga): part

• एक-शत-भागे (eka-śata-bhāge): in a hundredth part

• व्यवस्थितम् (vyavasthitam): established/abiding

• यमी (yamī): one who practices yama, a restrained yogin

• यम-विशुद्ध-आत्मा (yama-viśuddha-ātmā): whose self is purified by yama

• नियम्य (niyamya): having restrained/regulated (the mind, breath, senses)

• एवम् (evaṁ): thus/in this manner

• हृदि-ईश्वरम् (hṛdīśvaram): the Lord in the heart (Shiva as Pati within).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating yogic teaching as transmitted in the Linga Purana)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-worship not only as an outer rite but as antar-yāga: the yogin installs and worships Shiva as Hṛdīśvara in the heart, in an extremely subtle locus, making inner purity and concentration central to Linga-upāsanā.

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

Shiva is presented as Pati—the indwelling Lord (Antaryāmin) who abides within the heart beyond gross perception. The ‘hundredth part of a lotus-fiber’ signals Shiva-tattva as subtle, luminous, and accessible through disciplined dhyāna rather than sensory grasping.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pāśupata-aligned dhyāna practice: purification through yama, followed by niyama-like regulation (restraint of mind/senses/breath) and focused contemplation on Hṛdīśvara in the heart as the inner Linga.