Shloka 79

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

Devanagari script

पकारमुदरं तस्य फकारः पार्श्वमुच्यते बकारो वामपार्श्वं वै भकारं स्कन्धमस्य तत्

Transliteration

pakāramudaraṃ tasya phakāraḥ pārśvamucyate bakāro vāmapārśvaṃ vai bhakāraṃ skandhamasya tat

Translation

En esa forma corporal mística del sagrado mantra del Liṅga, la sílaba “pa” se dice que es Su vientre; “pha” se declara como Su costado; “ba” es en verdad Su costado izquierdo; y “bha” es Su hombro.

Word by Word

• पकारम् (pakāram): the syllable ‘pa’

• उदरम् (udaram): belly/abdomen

• तस्य (tasya): of that (Lord/Linga-form)

• फकारः (phakāraḥ): the syllable ‘pha’

• पार्श्वम् (pārśvam): side/flank

• उच्यते (ucyate): is said/declared

• बकारः (bakāraḥ): the syllable ‘ba’

• वामपार्श्वम् (vāma-pārśvam): left side

• वै (vai): indeed/verily

• भकारम् (bhakāram): the syllable ‘bha’

• स्कन्धम् (skandham): shoulder

• अस्य (asya): of Him/of this

• तत् (tat): that (is)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga’s mantra-body symbolism within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches mantra-nyāsa: the practitioner meditatively installs syllables as Shiva’s limbs, converting Linga-pūjā into embodied contemplation where the Linga is experienced as the living Pati.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as both transcendent and immanent: the formless Linga becomes knowable through sound (śabda), where phonemes reveal a divine body without limiting His infinite nature.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-nyāsa and dhyāna are highlighted—assigning syllables to body-parts as a Pāśupata-oriented internal worship that loosens pāśa (bondage) of the paśu (soul) by fixing awareness on Pati (Shiva).