Shloka 14

Adhyaya 75: Nishkala–Sakala Shiva, Twofold Linga, and the Supremacy of Dhyana-Yajna

Devanagari script

जपयज्ञसहस्रेभ्यो ध्यानयज्ञो विशिष्यते ध्यानयज्ञात्परो नास्ति ध्यानं ज्ञानस्य साधनम्

Transliteration

japayajñasahasrebhyo dhyānayajño viśiṣyate dhyānayajñātparo nāsti dhyānaṃ jñānasya sādhanam

Translation

More excellent than thousands of sacrifices of mantra-recitation is the sacrifice of meditation. There is nothing higher than the meditative sacrifice, for meditation is the direct means to liberating knowledge—where the bound soul (paśu) recognizes the Lord (Pati) beyond all bonds (pāśa).

Word by Word

• जपयज्ञसहस्रेभ्यः: than thousands of japa-sacrifices (mantra-recitation rites)

• ध्यानयज्ञः: the sacrifice of meditation

• विशिष्यते: excels/is superior

• ध्यानयज्ञात्: than the meditative sacrifice

• परः: higher

• नास्ति: does not exist

• ध्यानम्: meditation

• ज्ञानस्य: of (true) knowledge

• साधनम्: means/instrument

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It prioritizes inner worship (dhyāna) over external counts of japa, teaching that true Linga-upāsanā culminates in meditative absorption where Shiva is realized as Pati within the heart.

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

By presenting meditation as the gateway to jñāna, it implies Shiva-tattva as the ultimate reality known through direct inner realization, freeing the paśu from pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhyāna-yajña—meditation as a sacrificial discipline—aligned with Pāśupata-oriented practice where concentration and contemplation ripen into liberating knowledge.