Shloka 11
शिवमायाप्रभाववर्णनम्
Description of the Power/Effects of Śiva’s Māyā
भूता वा वर्तमाना वा भविष्याश्चैव सर्वश । शिवात्सर्वे प्रवर्तंते लीयंते वृद्धिमागताः
bhūtā vā vartamānā vā bhaviṣyāścaiva sarvaśa | śivātsarve pravartaṃte līyaṃte vṛddhimāgatāḥ
All beings—of the past, the present, and the future—arise from Śiva alone. Having grown and fulfilled their course, they again merge into Him.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s supreme causal role as taught in the Umāsaṃhitā discourse)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single jyotirliṅga; expresses the universal cycle: emergence from Śiva and reabsorption into Śiva—core to liṅga theology as cosmic axis.
Significance: Frames pilgrimage and worship as aligning oneself with Śiva’s cosmic rhythm; fosters surrender (śaraṇāgati) to the source and end of all.
Cosmic Event: cyclic creation-dissolution (kalpa-level implication)
FAQs
It establishes Shiva as Pati—the supreme ground of being—showing that all souls and worlds proceed from Him, mature through experience, and finally return to Him, pointing to liberation through re-union with Shiva.
The Linga symbolizes Shiva as the formless (nirguṇa) reality supporting all forms; worship of the saguna form and the Linga trains the mind to recognize Shiva as the origin and end of all manifestation.
Meditate on Shiva as the beginning and end of all experience while repeating the Panchakshara mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” cultivating detachment and surrender (śaraṇāgati) as the mind returns to its source.