Shloka 72

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

प्रकृति अन्द् पुरुष साधर्म्येणावतिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ तमःसत्त्वरजोपेतौ समत्वेन व्यवस्थितौ

Transliteration

prakṛti and puruṣa sādharmyeṇāvatiṣṭhete pradhānapuruṣāvubhau tamaḥsattvarajopetau samatvena vyavasthitau

Translation

Prakṛti y Puruṣa permanecen en mutua semejanza; ambos—Pradhāna (la Naturaleza primordial) y Puruṣa—están asociados con tamas, sattva y rajas, y reposan en equilibrio. En la comprensión śaiva, esto describe el balance premanifestado de los guṇa dentro del ámbito del lazo (pāśa), antes de su perturbación que impulsa la creación bajo el Señor (Pati).

Word by Word

• प्रकृतिः (prakṛtiḥ): primordial Nature, material matrix

• च (ca): and

• पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ): the conscious principle/person

• साधर्म्येण (sādharmyeṇa): by similarity/commonality of attributes

• अवतिष्ठेते (avatiṣṭhete): they stand/abide

• प्रधानपुरुषौ (pradhāna-puruṣau): Pradhāna and Puruṣa

• उभौ (ubhau): both

• तमः (tamaḥ): inertia/darkness

• सत्त्व (sattva): clarity/luminosity

• रजः (rajaḥ): activity/passion

• उपेतौ (upetau): endowed with/associated with

• समत्वेन (samatvena): in equilibrium/evenness

• व्यवस्थितौ (vyavasthitau): established/steadily situated

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Prakriti
• Purusha
• Pradhana
• Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas)

FAQs

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

It frames creation as arising from a pre-manifest equilibrium of the guṇas within Prakṛti–Puruṣa; Linga worship points beyond this guṇa-bound field (pāśa) to Shiva as Pati, the transcendent source who enables manifestation and liberation.

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

By describing Prakṛti–Puruṣa as guṇa-associated and equilibrated, it implicitly contrasts them with Shiva-tattva, who is not a product of guṇas and stands as the Lord (Pati) governing the unfolding of tattvas while remaining untouched.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A key Pāśupata/Yogic takeaway is guṇa-viveka (discernment of sattva–rajas–tamas) and moving from guṇa-identification (pāśa) toward Shiva-centered awareness through japa, dhyāna, and Linga-upāsanā.