Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

मध्ये चैकार्णवे तस्मिन् शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः जीमूताभो ऽम्बुजाक्षश् च किरीटी श्रीपतिर्हरिः

Transliteration

madhye caikārṇave tasmin śaṅkhacakragadādharaḥ jīmūtābho 'mbujākṣaś ca kirīṭī śrīpatirhariḥ

Translation

Au milieu de cet océan unique se tenait Hari—porteur de la conque, du disque et de la massue—sombre comme un nuage de pluie, aux yeux de lotus, couronné, Seigneur de Śrī. Dans l’intelligence śaiva, cette vision de Hari surgit au sein même du champ de manifestation du Pati (Śiva), annonçant l’émergence ordonnée de la création depuis les eaux sans bornes.

Word by Word

• मध्ये (madhye): in the middle

• च (ca): and

• एकार्णवे (ekārṇave): in the single cosmic ocean (primeval waters)

• तस्मिन् (tasmin): in that

• शङ्ख-चक्र-गदा-धरः (śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharaḥ): bearer of the conch, discus, and mace

• जीमूत-आभः (jīmūta-ābhaḥ): cloud-hued, like a rain-cloud

• अम्बुज-अक्षः (ambuja-akṣaḥ): lotus-eyed

• च (ca): and

• किरीटी (kirīṭī): wearing a crown

• श्री-पतिः (śrī-patiḥ): Lord of Śrī (Lakṣmī)

• हरिः (hariḥ): Hari (Viṣṇu).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Hari
• Shri (Lakshmi)

FAQs

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

It establishes the cosmic backdrop (aikārṇava) in which divine functions appear; in Shaiva reading, such appearances occur within Śiva’s sovereign reality (Pati), preparing the narrative ground for the Linga’s primacy and later installation-oriented teachings.

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

Though the verse names Hari, the Shaiva Siddhānta lens treats this as a manifestation within the Lord’s (Śiva’s) domain of māyā and sṛṣṭi—indicating Śiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati under whom cosmic roles (including Viṣṇu’s) operate.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No direct pūjā-vidhi or Pāśupata yoga technique is stated; the takeaway is contemplative dhyāna on the cosmic origin-setting—meditating on the Lord’s forms arising in the primeval waters as a prelude to disciplined worship and liberation of the paśu from pāśa.