Shloka 23

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

अटित्वा विविधांल्लोकान् विष्णुर्नानाविधाश्रयान् ततो वर्षसहस्रान्ते नान्तं हि ददृशे यदा

Transliteration

aṭitvā vividhāṃllokān viṣṇurnānāvidhāśrayān tato varṣasahasrānte nāntaṃ hi dadṛśe yadā

Translation

Après avoir parcouru des mondes variés et pris refuge en maints états et demeures, Viṣṇu — au terme de mille ans — ne vit toujours pas la fin de cette colonne sans bornes.

Word by Word

• अटित्वा: having wandered/traversed

• विविधान् लोकान्: various worlds

• विष्णुः: Vishnu

• नानाविध-आश्रयान्: many kinds of supports/abodes/refuges

• ततः: then/thereupon

• वर्ष-सहस्र-अन्ते: at the end of a thousand years

• न: not

• अन्तम्: the end/limit

• हि: indeed

• ददृशे: (he) saw/beheld

• यदा: when

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga-anveshana episode)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes the Linga as the ananta-stambha—Shiva’s limitless sign—whose beginning and end cannot be grasped by even great deities, grounding Linga-puja in reverence for the transcendent Pati.

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

By showing that no ‘end’ is found even after immense cosmic searching, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as boundless and beyond measure—Pati who exceeds all loka-based categories and supports.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is humility and śaraṇāgati (surrender): the pashu’s effort alone cannot reach the Absolute; liberation arises when the seeker turns from mere wandering to devotion and inner alignment with the Linga (Pashupata orientation).