Shloka 27

अग्नित्रय-पितृवंश-रुद्रसृष्टि-वैराग्योपदेशः

Devanagari script

आश्रिताः शंकरं तस्मात् प्राप्नुवन्ति च शाश्वतम् ऋषय ऊचुः मायान्ताश्चैव घोराद्या ह्य् अष्टविंशतिरेव च

Transliteration

āśritāḥ śaṃkaraṃ tasmāt prāpnuvanti ca śāśvatam ṛṣaya ūcuḥ māyāntāścaiva ghorādyā hy aṣṭaviṃśatireva ca

Translation

Therefore, those who take refuge in Śaṅkara attain the Eternal. The sages said: “And the series beginning with Ghora, together with Māyānta—these are indeed twenty-eight in number.”

Word by Word

• आश्रिताः (āśritāḥ): those who have taken refuge

• शंकरम् (śaṃkaram): Śaṅkara (Shiva, the auspicious one)

• तस्मात् (tasmāt): therefore/from that

• प्राप्नुवन्ति (prāpnuvanti): they attain

• च (ca): and

• शाश्वतम् (śāśvatam): the eternal (imperishable state)

• ऋषयः (ṛṣayaḥ): the sages

• ऊचुः (ūcuḥ): said

• मायान्ताः (māyāntāḥ): those ending with/including Māyānta (a named form in the list)

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• घोराद्याः (ghorādyāḥ): beginning with Ghora

• हि (hi): indeed

• अष्टविंशतिः (aṣṭaviṃśatiḥ): twenty-eight

• एव (eva): exactly/only

• च (ca): and

Speaker

Sages (Ṛṣayas) addressing Suta’s narration (dialogue cue: ṛṣaya ūcuḥ)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Shankara)
• Ghora (a Shiva manifestation)

FAQs

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

It frames refuge in Śaṅkara (Pati) as the direct cause of attaining the Eternal, and it links that salvific refuge to Shiva’s revealed manifestations—supporting Linga-worship as devotion to the transcendent Lord expressed through named forms.

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

Shiva is presented as Śaṅkara, the bestower of the śāśvata (imperishable) goal—Pati who liberates the paśu from pāśa—while also being knowable through a structured set of manifestations (counted here as twenty-eight).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key practice implied is śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in Śiva—central to Pāśupata orientation—alongside contemplation of His specific manifestations (e.g., Ghora) as aids for focused upāsanā and yogic absorption.