Shloka 45

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

Devanagari script

तस्याभिषिक्तस्य तदा प्रवृत्ता स्रोतसा भृशम् यस्मात् सुवर्णान्निःसृत्य नद्येषा सम्प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

tasyābhiṣiktasya tadā pravṛttā srotasā bhṛśam yasmāt suvarṇānniḥsṛtya nadyeṣā sampravartate

Translation

When He was anointed by the rite of abhiṣeka, a powerful current surged forth; from that anointing, issuing like gold, this river came into full flow—an outward sign of the Lord Pati who releases the bound paśu from the bonds of pāśa.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him/that (Lord/Liṅga)

• abhiṣiktasya: of the one who has been anointed

• tadā: then

• pravṛttā: set in motion/arose

• srotasā: with a stream/current

• bhṛśam: intensely, greatly

• yasmāt: from which/wherefrom

• suvarṇāt: from gold/as gold

• niḥsṛtya: flowing out, issuing forth

• nadī: river

• eṣā: this

• sampravartate: begins to flow fully, comes into operation

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 presents abhiṣeka not merely as ritual bathing but as a theophany: the Lord’s grace becomes a tangible, purifying flow, establishing abhiṣeka as a world-sanctifying act in Liṅga-pūjā.

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

Shiva appears as Pati whose śakti manifests outwardly as an unstoppable stream—grace that purifies and liberates the paśu from pāśa, turning worship into a channel of transformation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Liṅga-abhiṣeka is central: continuous offering (dhārā) and reverent bathing, implying inner purification aligned with Pāśupata discipline—steadiness, surrender, and devotion (bhakti) to the Pati.