Shloka 21

वंशानुवर्णनम् — सात्वतवंशः, स्यमन्तक-प्रसङ्गः, कृष्णावतारः, शिवप्रसादः (पाशुपतयोगः)

Devanagari script

सा मातुरुदरस्था वै बहून्वर्षगणान्किल वसन्ती न च संजज्ञे गर्भस्था तां पिताब्रवीत्

Transliteration

sā māturudarasthā vai bahūnvarṣagaṇānkila vasantī na ca saṃjajñe garbhasthā tāṃ pitābravīt

Translation

彼女はまことに母の胎内に幾年もとどまりながら、なお生まれ出なかった。なお胎内にあるとき、父は彼女に語りかけた。

Word by Word

• सा (sā): she

• मातुः (mātuḥ): of the mother

• उदरस्था (udarasthā): abiding in the belly/womb

• वै (vai): indeed

• बहून् (bahūn): many

• वर्षगणान् (varṣagaṇān): groups of years, many years

• किल (kila): it is said/indeed

• वसन्ती (vasantī): dwelling, remaining

• न (na): not

• च (ca): and

• संजज्ञे (saṃjajñe): was born, came forth

• गर्भस्था (garbhasthā): situated in the womb/embryonic state

• ताम् (tām): to her

• पिता (pitā): father

• अब्रवीत् (abravīt): spoke, addressed

Speaker

Suta Goswami (primary narrator) relating an internal episode where the father addresses the unborn child

Characters & Entities

• Suta Goswami
• Father
• Mother
• Unborn child

FAQs

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

The verse frames embodiment as a karmically conditioned state for the pashu (individual soul). Linga worship, central to the Linga Purana, is presented as a Shaiva means to purify pasha (bondage) and orient the soul toward Pati (Shiva), who grants auspicious release.

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

Implicitly, it highlights the limitation of the embodied condition—remaining “in the womb” for long—pointing to the need for divine governance beyond karma. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, Shiva-tattva as Pati alone can ultimately loosen pasha and guide the pashu from constriction toward manifestation and liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi is stated in this line; the takeaway is preparatory: human birth itself is a rare, karma-shaped doorway. In the Linga Purana’s Shaiva arc, this supports taking up Linga-puja and Pashupata-oriented discipline to transform bondage into a path toward Shiva.