Shloka 40

Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च

Devanagari script

मनो ऽनिलजवो भूत्वा गतो ऽहं चोर्ध्वतः सुराः नारायणो ऽपि विश्वात्मा नीलाञ्जनचयोपमम्

Transliteration

mano 'nilajavo bhūtvā gato 'haṃ cordhvataḥ surāḥ nārāyaṇo 'pi viśvātmā nīlāñjanacayopamam

Translation

Hecho veloz como el pensamiento y rápido como el viento, ascendí junto con los dioses. Incluso Nārāyaṇa, el Ātman inmanente del universo, contempló esa Realidad como una inmensa masa de colirio oscuro: un signo, el Liṅga, inconmensurable e insondable, más allá de todo alcance.

Word by Word

• manas: mind/thought

• anila-javaḥ: wind-swift

• bhūtvā: having become

• gataḥ: gone

• aham: I

• ca: and

• ūrdhvataḥ: upward

• surāḥ: the gods

• nārāyaṇaḥ api: even Nārāyaṇa

• viśva-ātmā: the Self of the universe

• nīla-añjana-caya-upamam: comparable to a mass/heap of dark collyrium (deep blue-black radiance)

Speaker

Brahma (within Suta’s narration to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Vishnu (Narayana)
• Devas
• Shiva (implied as the Linga/Sign)

FAQs

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

It frames the Liṅga as the limitless sign of Pati (Śiva): even the highest gods, moving with mind-and-wind speed, cannot reach its measure—so worship centers on reverence for the immeasurable rather than attempting to “grasp” the Absolute.

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

Śiva-tattva is indicated as ananta (without end) and atīndriya (beyond senses and mind): the dark, dense radiance like nīlāñjana suggests the transcendent, ungraspable Reality in which the universe is grounded.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Yogic implication is the need to transcend manas (mind) and prāṇa-like velocity (anila-java) through Pāśupata-oriented inwardness—shifting from outward pursuit to contemplative surrender before the Liṅga as Pati.