Shloka 26

नन्दिकेश्वरोत्पत्तिः — Nandikesvara’s Origin, Shiva’s Boons, and the Rise of Sacred Rivers

Devanagari script

समालोक्य च तुष्टात्मा महादेवः सुरेश्वरः अजरो जरया त्यक्तो नित्यं दुःखविवर्जितः

Transliteration

samālokya ca tuṣṭātmā mahādevaḥ sureśvaraḥ ajaro jarayā tyakto nityaṃ duḥkhavivarjitaḥ

Translation

Having thus beheld all that had occurred, Mahādeva—the Lord of the gods—became inwardly satisfied. He is ageless, untouched by decay, and ever free from sorrow: Pati, the Supreme Lord beyond all limiting bonds.

Word by Word

• समालोक्य: having looked upon, having beheld

• च: and

• तुष्टात्मा: one whose inner being is content/satisfied

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Great God, Śiva)

• सुरेश्वरः: Lord of the Devas

• अजरः: ageless, not subject to old age

• जरया: by old age/decay

• त्यक्तः: abandoned, left behind, untouched (by)

• नित्यम्: always, eternally

• दुःखविवर्जितः: devoid of suffering, free from sorrow

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes the ontological purity of the worshipped reality: the Liṅga signifies Mahādeva as Pati—ageless and sorrowless—so the devotee (paśu) approaches a Lord who is beyond decay and affliction, the true refuge granting release from pāśa (bondage).

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

Śiva is portrayed as sureśvara and simultaneously ajara and duḥkha-vivarjita—transcendent, unaffected by time’s degeneration and untouched by duḥkha; this aligns with Shaiva Siddhanta’s view of Pati as eternally free while souls undergo limitation until liberated.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the practical takeaway is contemplative upāsanā—meditating on Śiva’s nitya (eternal) sorrowless nature, a core orientation supporting Pāśupata Yoga and steady Liṅga-pūjā with detachment from decay and grief.