Shloka 18
यः स्रष्टा चैव संहर्ता भर्ता चैव महेश्वरः । तस्मादन्यं न पश्यामि शंकरात्मानमध्वरे
yaḥ sraṣṭā caiva saṃhartā bhartā caiva maheśvaraḥ | tasmādanyaṃ na paśyāmi śaṃkarātmānamadhvare
He who is indeed the Creator, the Dissolver, and the Sustainer—Mahādeva, the Great Lord. Therefore, in this sacred rite I behold none other; I perceive only Śaṅkara as the very Self within the sacrifice.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga-sthala passage; the verse universalizes Śiva as the inner Self of yajña (adhvara), aligning sacrifice with Śiva-tattva rather than a specific shrine legend.
Significance: Frames all Vedic sacrifice as ultimately Śiva-directed; encourages Śiva-bhakti as the inner meaning of ritual action (karma) leading toward grace (anugraha).
Type: stotra
FAQs
It teaches Shiva as Pati—the one reality who performs creation, preservation, and dissolution—and urges the devotee to recognize him as the indwelling essence of all sacred acts, leading the mind toward liberation-oriented devotion.
The verse frames worship as Shiva-centered: the yajña is not separate from Shiva, just as the Linga is not a mere symbol but the accessible Saguna focus through which one realizes Shiva’s all-pervading presence.
Practice Shiva-arpaṇa-bhāva: mentally offer every rite and action to Maheshvara while repeating the Panchākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), contemplating that the sacrificer, offering, and fire are pervaded by Śaṅkara.