Shloka 23

अलिङ्ग-लिङ्ग-निरूपणं तथा प्राकृत-सृष्टिवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

आवृणोद्रसमात्रं वै देवः साक्षाद्विभावसुः आवृण्वाना गन्धमात्रम् आपः सर्वरसात्मिकाः

Transliteration

āvṛṇodrasamātraṃ vai devaḥ sākṣādvibhāvasuḥ āvṛṇvānā gandhamātram āpaḥ sarvarasātmikāḥ

Translation

La divinité Vibhāvasu (Agni), manifestée en personne, voila le principe de la saveur seule (rasa-tanmātra) ; et les Eaux — dont la nature est la totalité des saveurs — voilèrent à leur tour le principe de la fragrance seule (gandha-tanmātra).

Word by Word

• आवृणोत्: veiled/covered

• रस-मात्रम्: taste alone (the subtle principle of rasa)

• वै: indeed

• देवः: the deity

• साक्षात्: directly/in person

• विभावसुः: Vibhāvasu (Agni, fire)

• आवृण्वाना: while veiling/covering

• गन्ध-मात्रम्: fragrance alone (the subtle principle of gandha)

• आपः: the Waters

• सर्व-रस-आत्मिकाः: whose essence is all tastes/rasas

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmology to the Sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Vibhavasu)
• Apah (Waters)

FAQs

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

It frames sense-qualities (taste and fragrance) as coverings in creation; Linga-worship aims at turning the Pashu inward from these coverings (pāśa) toward Pati, the formless Lord indicated by the Linga.

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

By showing how elemental powers veil subtle qualities, it implies Shiva-tattva as the un-veiled Reality beyond the tanmātras and bhūtas—Pati who is not limited by sensory attributes.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Sense-restraint (indriya-nigraha) and subtle-object transcendence: in Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā, the seeker relinquishes fixation on rasa and gandha, using worship and meditation to cut pāśa and abide in Shiva.