Shloka 22

जम्बूद्वीपस्य नववर्षविभागः रुद्रस्य अष्टक्षेत्रसन्निधिः नाभि-ऋषभ-भरतकथा

Devanagari script

सर्वात्मनात्मनि स्थाप्य परमात्मानमीश्वरम् नग्नो जटी निराहारश् चीरी ध्वान्तगतो हि सः

Transliteration

sarvātmanātmani sthāpya paramātmānamīśvaram nagno jaṭī nirāhāraś cīrī dhvāntagato hi saḥ

Translation

Ayant établi le Soi suprême—le Paramātman, le Seigneur (Pati)—au plus intime de son propre soi par une contemplation qui embrasse tout, il devint ascète : nu, aux cheveux en jata, jeûnant, vêtu de haillons ; et il entra dans la « nuit », c’est-à-dire dans l’immobilité intérieure au-delà des apparences.

Word by Word

• sarvātmanā: with the all-pervading (integral) self-awareness

• ātmani: in the Self

• sthāpya: having स्थापित/established

• paramātmānam: the Supreme Self

• īśvaram: the Lord, the Sovereign (Pati)

• nagnaḥ: unclad, naked

• jaṭī: one with matted locks

• nirāhāraḥ: without food, fasting

• cīrī: wearing torn cloth/rags

• dhvānta-gataḥ: gone into darkness (withdrawn inward, beyond sense-light)

• hi: indeed

• saḥ: he (that practitioner/devotee)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya; describing the Pāśupata practitioner)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It shifts worship from external marks to inner establishment of Īśvara as the indwelling Paramātman—making the body and awareness a living shrine, which is the subtle (antar) mode of Linga-upāsanā.

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

Shiva is presented as Paramātman and Īśvara (Pati), realizable as the immanent Lord within the ātman; the ascetic’s transformation reflects the soul (paśu) turning from pāśa (bondage) toward Pati through inward absorption.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Pāśupata-style internal yoga: establishing the Lord in the heart through concentrated contemplation, accompanied by renunciation markers (fasting, simplicity, withdrawal), emphasizing inner discipline over mere external ritual.