Shloka 21

नैमिषारण्ये सूतागमनम् — लिङ्गमाहात्म्यभूमिका तथा शब्दब्रह्म-ओङ्कार-लिङ्गतत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

यजुर्वेदमहाग्रीवम् अथर्वहृदयं विभुम् प्रधानपुरुषातीतं प्रलयोत्पत्तिवर्जितम्

Transliteration

yajurvedamahāgrīvam atharvahṛdayaṃ vibhum pradhānapuruṣātītaṃ pralayotpattivarjitam

Translation

Je me prosterne devant le Seigneur qui pénètre tout, dont le puissant « cou » est le Yajurveda et dont le « cœur » est l’Atharvaveda—Lui qui transcende à la fois Pradhāna (la Nature primordiale) et Puruṣa (le principe conscient individuel), et que ni la création ni la dissolution n’atteignent.

Word by Word

• यजुर्वेद (Yajurveda): the Yajur Veda

• महाग्रीवम् (mahāgrīvam): having a great neck / whose great neck is

• अथर्व (atharva): Atharva (Veda)

• हृदयं (hṛdayaṁ): heart

• विभुम् (vibhum): the all-pervading, sovereign Lord

• प्रधान (pradhāna): primordial Nature, Prakṛti

• पुरुष (puruṣa): Puruṣa, conscious principle / individual self in Sāṅkhya usage

• अतीतम् (atītam): transcending, beyond

• प्रलय (pralaya): dissolution, cosmic reabsorption

• उत्पत्ति (utpatti): creation, origination

• वर्जितम् (varjitam): devoid of, free from, untouched by

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes Shiva as the Veda-sourced yet Veda-transcending Pati, making Linga worship a direct approach to the all-pervading Lord beyond cosmic change.

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

Shiva is portrayed as vibhu (all-pervading) and as transcending Pradhāna and Puruṣa—thus not bound like the pashu (soul) by pasha (bondage) or by the cycles of creation and dissolution.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

By linking Shiva with the Yajur and Atharva Vedas, the verse points to Vedic-style Shiva upāsanā (mantra and ritual orientation) grounded in recognizing the Pati as beyond pralaya and utpatti—an essential contemplative basis for Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.