Shloka 4

Adhyaya 33: Pashupata Conduct, Bhasma-Vrata, and Shiva’s Boon to the Sages

Devanagari script

पुंल्लिङ्गं पुरुषो विप्रा मम देहसमुद्भवः उभाभ्यामेव वै सृष्टिर् मम विप्रा न संशयः

Transliteration

puṃlliṅgaṃ puruṣo viprā mama dehasamudbhavaḥ ubhābhyāmeva vai sṛṣṭir mama viprā na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Ô sages brāhmanes, le principe masculin (puṃ-liṅga)—le Puruṣa—est né de Mon propre corps. De l’un et l’autre (masculin et féminin) procède la création, mais d’Elle vient de Moi seul, ô sages; il n’y a là aucun doute.

Word by Word

• puṁlliṅgam: the masculine mark/principle (male gender)

• puruṣaḥ: the male person/principle

• viprāḥ: O Brahmins/sages

• mama: of Me/My

• deha-samudbhavaḥ: arisen from the body

• ubhābhyām: from both (male and female)

• eva: indeed/alone

• vai: surely

• sṛṣṭiḥ: creation/emission

• mama: from Me/belongs to Me

• na: not

• saṁśayaḥ: doubt

Speaker

Brahma (within Suta’s narration to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga symbolism in cosmogony: the Lord is the source of gendered manifestation, and worship of the Linga honors the transcendent Pati from whom all differentiated creation proceeds.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the ultimate source (Pati) from whom embodied principles arise; even the differentiated puruṣa is an emanation, while the Lord remains the sovereign cause behind sṛṣṭi.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is contemplative: in Pashupata-oriented practice, one meditates on Pati as the origin of all tattvas, loosening pasha (bondage) by recognizing the pashu’s dependence on the Lord rather than on bodily differentiation.