Shloka 67
Paramātma-Svarūpa-Nirṇaya: Strī–Puṃ–Napuṃsaka-Vicāra
Inquiry into the Supreme Self and Gendered Forms
भूतपञ्चकरूपोऽयम्प्रपञ्चः परिकीर्त्यते । विराट् सर्वसमष्ट्यात्मा ब्रह्माण्डमिति च स्फुटम्
bhūtapañcakarūpo'yamprapañcaḥ parikīrtyate | virāṭ sarvasamaṣṭyātmā brahmāṇḍamiti ca sphuṭam
This manifest universe is proclaimed to be of the nature of the five elements. And that Cosmic Being, Virāṭ—the collective Self of all totalities—is clearly spoken of as “Brahmāṇḍa,” the cosmic egg.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Cosmic Event: brahmāṇḍa/virāṭ conception (samaṣṭi-body of the universe)
FAQs
It frames the entire world as a pañcabhūta-based manifestation while pointing to a unifying cosmic principle (Virāṭ). In a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, this supports discerning the seen world (pāśa) and seeking the transcendent Lord (Pati) who enables liberation beyond elemental limitation.
Virāṭ and Brahmāṇḍa describe the universe as a sacred, ordered whole—an entry point for saguna contemplation. Linga-worship similarly uses a visible support to contemplate Shiva as the ground of the cosmos, ultimately leading the devotee from form-based meditation to the formless Supreme.
A practical takeaway is pañcabhūta-śuddhi (purification of the five elements) through japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” combined with steady Linga-dhyāna—seeing the entire Brahmāṇḍa as upheld by Shiva and offering the elements back to Him in inner worship.