Shloka 4

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

Devanagari script

यज्ज्ञानं निर्मलं शुद्धं निर्विकल्पं निराश्रयम् गुरुप्रकाशकं ज्ञानम् इत्यन्ये मुनयो द्विजाः

Transliteration

yajjñānaṃ nirmalaṃ śuddhaṃ nirvikalpaṃ nirāśrayam guruprakāśakaṃ jñānam ityanye munayo dvijāḥ

Translation

That knowledge which is stainless and pure, free from mental constructions and independent of external supports—knowledge that illumines the Guru (as the revealer of the Pati, Śiva)—thus do other sages and twice-born ones describe true knowledge.

Word by Word

• yat-jñānam: that knowledge

• nirmalam: spotless, free from impurity (mala)

• śuddham: pure

• nirvikalpam: without conceptual alternations (vikalpa)

• nirāśrayam: without dependence on supports, self-sustained

• guru-prakāśakam: that which makes the Guru’s light/revelation manifest (the Guru as the revealer)

• jñānam: knowledge

• iti: thus

• anye: others

• munayaḥ: sages

• dvijāḥ: twice-born (learned Brahmins)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching on jñāna as transmitted in the Purana)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Guru

FAQs

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

It shifts Linga-upāsanā from mere external rite to inner realization: true worship culminates in stainless, supportless knowledge that removes pasha (bondage) and turns the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Śiva).

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

By defining liberating knowledge as nirvikalpa and nirāśraya, it implies Śiva-tattva as self-luminous and beyond limiting conceptualizations—known through purified awareness rather than mental constructs.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights the jñāna-limb of Pāśupata-oriented sādhana: purification (śuddhi), withdrawal from vikalpa, and Guru-upadeśa leading to steady, non-conceptual contemplation aligned with Śiva.