Shloka 20

Adhyaya 75: Nishkala–Sakala Shiva, Twofold Linga, and the Supremacy of Dhyana-Yajna

Devanagari script

कर्मयज्ञरताः स्थूलाः स्थूललिङ्गार्चने रताः असतां भावनार्थाय नान्यथा स्थूलविग्रहः

Transliteration

karmayajñaratāḥ sthūlāḥ sthūlaliṅgārcane ratāḥ asatāṃ bhāvanārthāya nānyathā sthūlavigrahaḥ

Translation

Ceux qui s’attachent à l’action rituelle et au sacrifice—dont l’intelligence demeure extérieure et grossière—se complaisent dans l’adoration du Liṅga grossier (manifesté). Afin de faire croître la bhakti et la juste contemplation dans des esprits encore peu affinés, la forme incarnée et grossière est prescrite ; il n’en est pas autrement.

Word by Word

• karma-yajña-ratāḥ: devoted to rites and sacrifices

• sthūlāḥ: gross-minded, outward-oriented

• sthūla-liṅga-arcane: in the worship (arcana) of the gross/manifest Liṅga

• ratāḥ: engaged, delighting

• asatām: of the unrefined/undisciplined (lit. non-realized)

• bhāvanā-arthāya: for the purpose of contemplation/devotional cultivation

• na anyathā: not otherwise

• sthūla-vigrahaḥ: the gross embodied form (manifest icon/form).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It explains why the manifest (sthūla) Liṅga is taught: it stabilizes devotion and contemplation (bhāvanā) for those still oriented to external ritual (karma-yajña), serving as a valid step in Shaiva sādhanā.

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

It implies Shiva as Pati is ultimately beyond limitation, yet compassionately accessible through a gross, worshipable form for pashus bound by pasha—so they can mature from outer form to inner realization.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Sthūla-liṅga arcana—formal Liṅga pūjā aligned with karma-yajña—used as a preparatory discipline that refines the mind toward steadier bhāvanā and later, subtler Shaiva contemplation.