Shloka 6

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

अनाद्यन्तमजं सूक्ष्मं त्रिगुणं प्रभवाव्ययम् अप्रकाशमविज्ञेयं ब्रह्माग्रे समवर्तत

Transliteration

anādyantamajaṃ sūkṣmaṃ triguṇaṃ prabhavāvyayam aprakāśamavijñeyaṃ brahmāgre samavartata

Translation

Before Brahmā and the act of creation, That Reality existed—beginningless and endless, unborn and subtle; the source of the three guṇas yet itself imperishable; unmanifest (beyond sensory illumination) and unknowable to ordinary cognition—abiding as the primordial Supreme, Śiva as Pati.

Word by Word

• anādi-antaṃ: without beginning or end

• ajam: unborn

• sūkṣmam: subtle, supra-sensory

• triguṇam: connected with the three guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas) as their ground

• prabhava: the originating source/cause

• avyayam: undecaying, imperishable

• aprakāśam: unmanifest, not an object of empirical light/appearance

• avijñeyam: not knowable by ordinary intellect

• brahma-agre: prior to Brahmā / before creation

• samavartata: existed, remained present/established

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological teaching within the Purva-Bhaga)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as the sign (liṅga) of the unmanifest, beginningless Pati—Śiva—who exists prior to Brahmā and creation, making Linga-pūjā a worship of the causal, imperishable source rather than a merely formed deity.

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

Śiva-tattva is described as unborn, subtle, and beyond ordinary knowledge—unmanifest to the senses—yet the originating ground of the three guṇas, indicating transcendence (beyond) along with immanence (as source) in the cosmos.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse primarily supports Pāśupata-oriented contemplation (dhyāna) on the unmanifest Pati beyond sense and intellect; ritually, it implies Linga-pūjā with inner meditation on the formless source rather than externalized, purely material focus.