Shloka 59

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

भवमत्यद्भुतं दृष्ट्वा नारायणमथाब्रवीत् अप्रमेयो महावक्त्रो दंष्ट्री ध्वस्तशिरोरुहः

Transliteration

bhavamatyadbhutaṃ dṛṣṭvā nārāyaṇamathābravīt aprameyo mahāvaktro daṃṣṭrī dhvastaśiroruhaḥ

Translation

उस परम अद्भुत रूपधारी भव को देखकर नारायण ने कहा—वह अप्रमेय, विशाल मुखवाला, उन्नत दंष्ट्राओं से युक्त और जली हुई जटाओं वाला था।

Word by Word

• भवम्: Bhava (Śiva)

• अत्यद्भुतम्: exceedingly wondrous

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)

• अथ: then

• अब्रवीत्: spoke

• अप्रमेयः: immeasurable, beyond measure

• महावक्त्रः: great-faced, vast-mouthed

• दंष्ट्री: possessing fangs/tusks

• ध्वस्त-शिरोरुहः: one whose head-hair is destroyed/ruined (burnt off).

Speaker

Suta (narrating the episode; the verse introduces Narayana speaking after seeing Bhava)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Narayana
• Bhava

FAQs

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

It frames the mood of darśana: the devotee (here Nārāyaṇa) encounters Bhava as the immeasurable Pati, a key Shaiva emphasis behind Linga worship—approaching the limitless Lord through a sacred sign (liṅga) and reverent recognition.

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

By stressing “aprameya” (beyond measure), it points to Śiva-tattva as transcendent and not graspable by ordinary pramāṇas; Bhava appears in a fearsome, cosmic form, indicating the Lord’s sovereignty over creation and dissolution.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is contemplative—Pāśupata-oriented reverence (bhakti mixed with insight) begins with awe and recognition of Pati as immeasurable, which grounds later puja and yogic discipline.