Shloka 12
त्वं हि विश्वसृजां स्रष्टा धाता त्वं प्रपितामहः । त्रिगुणात्मा निर्गुणश्च प्रकृतेः पुरुषात्परः
tvaṃ hi viśvasṛjāṃ sraṣṭā dhātā tvaṃ prapitāmahaḥ | triguṇātmā nirguṇaśca prakṛteḥ puruṣātparaḥ
Indeed, You are the creator of the creators of the universe; You are the sustainer, You are the primal grandsire. You are manifest as the very essence of the three guṇas, and yet You are beyond all guṇas—transcending both Prakṛti and Puruṣa.
Sati (praising Lord Shiva)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Doctrinal praise: Śiva is the source even of secondary creators (Brahmā etc.), simultaneously immanent in guṇas and transcendent beyond Prakṛti-Puruṣa.
Significance: Contemplation of Śiva as both saguna (triguṇātmā) and nirguṇa supports Siddhānta’s distinction of Pati from paśu and pāśa, leading to detachment from māyā.
Mantra: tvaṃ hi viśvasṛjāṃ sraṣṭā dhātā tvaṃ prapitāmahaḥ | triguṇātmā nirguṇaśca prakṛteḥ puruṣātparaḥ
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Satī
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse declares Shiva as the supreme Pati: the source even of cosmic creators, immanent as the three guṇas for governance of the world, yet ultimately nirguṇa—transcending Prakṛti and Puruṣa—thus pointing the seeker toward liberation through devotion and right knowledge of Shiva’s supremacy.
Linga worship honors Shiva’s saguna accessibility (as the Lord who creates, sustains, and orders), while remembering that the same Lord is nirguṇa in essence. The Linga thus becomes a support for meditation that leads from form to the formless reality of Shiva.
Meditate on Shiva as both triguṇātmā and nirguṇa while chanting the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya); perform Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) application and japa with Rudrākṣa as aids to steady the mind on the Lord beyond Prakṛti and Puruṣa.