Shloka 128

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

मध्ये गगनरूपाय गगनस्थाय ते नमः अष्टक्षेत्राष्टरूपाय अष्टतत्त्वाय ते नमः

Transliteration

madhye gaganarūpāya gaganasthāya te namaḥ aṣṭakṣetrāṣṭarūpāya aṣṭatattvāya te namaḥ

Translation

Salutations to You who abide in the center, whose very form is space, and who dwell in the sky. Salutations to You who manifest as the eight sacred fields and the eight forms, and who are the very essence of the eight principles (tattvas).

Word by Word

• madhye: in the middle/center

• gagana-rūpāya: to the One whose form is space/ether

• gagana-sthāya: to the One abiding in the sky/firmament

• te: to You

• namaḥ: salutation

• aṣṭa-kṣetra: eight sacred fields/regions (kṣetras)

• aṣṭa-rūpāya: to the One of eight forms

• aṣṭa-tattvāya: to the One who is the eight principles/tattvas

• (iti): thus

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a received Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana’s discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as the all-pervading, space-like presence of Pati (Shiva), making worship a recognition that the Lord is both immanent (in the center) and transcendent (beyond all fields and principles).

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

Shiva is praised as gagana-svarūpa—subtle, all-accommodating consciousness—who also appears as structured manifestations (eight kṣetras, eight rūpas, eight tattvas), showing His sovereignty over both the unmanifest and manifest orders.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative nyāsa/dhyāna approach is implied: the devotee meditates on Shiva pervading the inner center and the cosmic expanse, integrating tattva-vicāra (discernment of principles) with Linga-pūjā.