Shloka 57

मुनिमोहशमनम्

Pāśupata-yoga, Siddhis, Puruṣa-darśana, Saṃsāra, and Prāṇa-Rudra Pañcāhutī

Devanagari script

नवमासात् परिक्लिष्टः संवेष्टितशिरोधरः वेष्टितः सर्वगात्रैश् च अपर्याप्तप्रवेशनः

Transliteration

navamāsāt parikliṣṭaḥ saṃveṣṭitaśirodharaḥ veṣṭitaḥ sarvagātraiś ca aparyāptapraveśanaḥ

Translation

Afflicted through nine months in the womb, with head and neck tightly constricted and the whole body wrapped and compressed, the bound jīva finds no sufficient space to move or to emerge. Thus it suffers under the force of pāśa (bondage), until the grace of Pati (Śiva) becomes the true passage to freedom.

Word by Word

• नवमासात्: for nine months

• परिक्लिष्टः: tormented, greatly afflicted

• संवेष्टित-शिरोधरः: with head and neck tightly bound/encircled

• वेष्टितः: wrapped, constricted

• सर्वगात्रैः: in all limbs/throughout the body

• च: and

• अपर्याप्त-प्रवेशनः: having insufficient passage/space for movement or emergence

Speaker

Suta (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights embodied suffering as a sign of pāśa (bondage); Liṅga-worship is presented as turning the pashu (bound soul) toward Pati (Śiva), whose anugraha alone opens the true ‘passage’ beyond saṃsāra.

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

By implication, Śiva-tattva is the liberating principle: while the jīva is constricted by karmic limitation, Pati remains the transcendent Lord whose grace enables release from constraint and rebirth.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports the Pāśupata view that liberation requires recognizing bondage and seeking Śiva’s anugraha through Śiva-pūjā (especially Liṅga-arcana) and inner discipline that loosens pāśa.