Shloka 55

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

तेजो दशगुणेनैव वायुना बाह्यतो वृतम् वायुर्दशगुणेनैव बाह्यतो नभसा वृतः

Transliteration

tejo daśaguṇenaiva vāyunā bāhyato vṛtam vāyurdaśaguṇenaiva bāhyato nabhasā vṛtaḥ

Translation

Le feu est enveloppé au dehors par l’Air, dix fois plus vaste que lui ; et l’Air, à son tour, est enveloppé au dehors par l’Éther (nabhas), dix fois plus vaste que l’Air. Ainsi les éléments grossiers sont successivement revêtus par des principes plus subtils et plus expansifs—révélant le voile ordonné (āvaraṇa) de la création sous le Seigneur (Pati).

Word by Word

• tejaḥ: fire, the element of radiance

• daśa-guṇena: by tenfold measure, ten times

• eva: indeed/only

• vāyunā: by air (vāyu)

• bāhyataḥ: on the outside, externally

• vṛtam: covered, enclosed

• vāyuḥ: air/wind principle

• nabhasā: by ether/space (ākāśa)

• vṛtaḥ: enclosed/veiled

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmology of srishti to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the Pancha-bhuta hierarchy—often ritually honored in Shiva worship—showing how the manifest world is layered and veiled, urging the devotee to turn from outer coverings to the inner Lord symbolized by the Linga.

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

By describing successive coverings of the elements, it implies that all material tattvas are āvaraṇas (veils) within prakṛti, while Shiva as Pati remains the transcendent ground beyond these enclosures, the one who governs their order without being confined by them.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It supports Pashupata-style inward ascent (pratyāhāra and dhyāna): withdrawing attention from gross bhutas to subtler principles, using the Linga as the focus to transcend pasha (bondage) and recognize Pati.