Shloka 4

Adhyaya 45: Rudra as Sarvatma—Seven Lokas, Seven Talas, and the Cosmic Body of Shiva

Devanagari script

अनेन निर्मितास्त्वेवं तदात्मानो द्विजर्षभाः समष्टिरूपः सर्वात्मा संस्थितः सर्वदा शिवः

Transliteration

anena nirmitāstvevaṃ tadātmāno dvijarṣabhāḥ samaṣṭirūpaḥ sarvātmā saṃsthitaḥ sarvadā śivaḥ

Translation

Thus, O best of the twice-born, by Him all these were fashioned as expressions of His own being. Shiva—ever established as the Self of all—abides perpetually in the universal, collective form (samaṣṭi-rūpa).

Word by Word

• अनेन (anena): by Him/through this (Supreme cause)

• निर्मिताः (nirmitāḥ): created, fashioned

• तु (tu): indeed

• एवम् (evaṃ): thus

• तदात्मानः (tad-ātmānaḥ): having Him as their very self, of His essence

• द्विजर्षभाः (dvijarṣabhāḥ): O bull among the twice-born (address to sages/Brahmins)

• समष्टिरूपः (samaṣṭi-rūpaḥ): having the collective/universal form

• सर्वात्मा (sarvātmā): the Self of all beings

• संस्थितः (saṃsthitaḥ): established, abiding

• सर्वदा (sarvadā): always

• शिवः (śivaḥ): Shiva, the auspicious Lord (Pati).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga worship in metaphysics: the Linga signifies Shiva as the ever-present Sarvātman, the collective ground (samaṣṭi) from which all forms arise and in which all abide.

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

Shiva is presented as Pati—the abiding Lord who is simultaneously transcendent creator and immanent Self of all (sarvātmā), with the universe as His own expression (tad-ātmānaḥ).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key takeaway is contemplative upāsanā: in puja and Pāśupata-oriented meditation, one should recognize all beings (paśu) as pervaded by Shiva, loosening pāśa (bondage) through insight into His sarvātmatva.