Shloka 39

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

समकायशिरोग्रीवो धारयन् नावलोकयेत् यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता

Transliteration

samakāyaśirogrīvo dhārayan nāvalokayet yathā dīpo nivātastho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā

Translation

Keeping the body, head, and neck aligned and steady, the practitioner should fix awareness without letting it wander outward. As a lamp placed in a windless spot does not flicker, so this steadiness is remembered as the fitting simile for samādhi directed toward Pati, Śiva.

Word by Word

• समकायशिरोग्रीवः: with body, head, and neck held in one straight alignment

• धारयन्: holding steady, sustaining (attention/posture)

• न अवलोकयेत्: should not look around, should not cast the gaze outward

• यथा: just as

• दीपः: a lamp

• निवातस्थः: situated where there is no wind

• न इङ्गते (नेङ्गते): does not tremble, does not flicker

• सा उपमा: that simile/analogy

• स्मृता: is taught/remembered (in the tradition).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating established yogic instruction within the Linga Purana’s Shaiva teaching stream)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches the inner discipline that supports Linga-upasana: bodily alignment and non-distracted awareness, so the worshipper’s mind becomes steady enough to contemplate Śiva as Pati without wavering.

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

By implying that realization of Śiva-tattva requires unwavering steadiness, it points to Śiva as the unshaken, changeless Pati—known when the pashu’s fluctuations subside and the bonds (pāśa) lose their hold.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A dhyāna-lakṣaṇa of Pāśupata-oriented yoga: straight posture (body–head–neck aligned) with restrained outward gaze and stabilized attention, likened to a lamp that does not flicker in a windless place.