Shloka 71

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

तस्मात्त्रिःप्रवणं योगी उपासीत महेश्वरम् दशविस्तारकं ब्रह्म तथा च ब्रह्मविस्तरैः

Transliteration

tasmāttriḥpravaṇaṃ yogī upāsīta maheśvaram daśavistārakaṃ brahma tathā ca brahmavistaraiḥ

Translation

Por ello, el yogui debe adorar a Maheśvara mediante el Praṇava (Om) pronunciado tres veces. Debe contemplar a Brahman en su expansión de diez formas, y también en las diversas expansiones de Brahman, reconociendo al único Pati como la realidad interior que sostiene toda expansión.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore

• त्रिः: threefold

• प्रवणम्/प्रणवम् (प्रवणं as पाठभेद): the Praṇava ‘Oṁ’ (the sacred syllable)

• योगी: the yogin

• उपासीत: should worship/meditate upon

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva, the Supreme Lord)

• दश-विस्तारकम्: having a tenfold expansion/that which expands in ten ways

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, the Absolute

• तथा च: and also/likewise

• ब्रह्म-विस्तरैः: by the expansions/unfoldings of Brahman (manifest principles/forms).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching tradition of the Linga Purana to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Maheshvara
• Brahman
• Pranava (Om)

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-upāsanā in inner mantra-yoga: worship of Maheśvara is to be performed through the threefold Praṇava, aligning speech, mind, and breath with Śiva as the indwelling Pati.

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

Śiva is indicated as Maheśvara who transcends yet pervades all “brahma-vistāras” (manifest expansions). The many unfoldings belong to Brahman’s expression, while Śiva remains the sovereign reality behind them.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Triḥ-pranava upāsanā—repetition/meditation on Oṁ threefold—combined with contemplative mapping of Brahman’s tenfold expansion, a Pāśupata-aligned method of unifying jīva (paśu) with Pati by loosening pāśa (bondage).