Shloka 66

Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च

Devanagari script

सौवर्णमभवच्चाण्डम् आवेष्ट्याद्यं तदक्षरम् अनेकाब्दं तथा चाप्सु दिव्यमण्डं व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

sauvarṇamabhavaccāṇḍam āveṣṭyādyaṃ tadakṣaram anekābdaṃ tathā cāpsu divyamaṇḍaṃ vyavasthitam

Translation

ನಂತರ ಆ ಆದ್ಯ, ಅಕ್ಷರ ತತ್ತ್ವವು ಆವೃತವಾಗಿ ಸುವರ್ಣಮಯ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾಂಡವು ಉಂಟಾಯಿತು. ಅನೇಕ ವರ್ಷಗಳು ಅದು ಜಲಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದಿವ್ಯ ಮಂಡಲವಾಗಿ ಸ್ಥಿರವಾಯಿತು.

Word by Word

• सौवर्णम्: golden

• अभवत्: became/arose

• चाण्डम्: cosmic egg (brahmāṇḍa)

• आवेष्ट्य: having enclosed/encasing

• आद्यम्: primordial/first

• तत्: that

• अक्षरम्: imperishable (akṣara, the unchanging principle)

• अनेकाब्दम्: for many years/ages

• तथा: and thus

• च: also

• अप्सु: in the waters

• दिव्यमण्डम्: divine sphere/orb/circle

• व्यवस्थितम्: established, settled in order

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purāṇic account to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-worship in cosmology: the Linga’s “akṣara” (imperishable) reality precedes manifestation and becomes the womb-like enclosure from which ordered creation unfolds.

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

Shiva is implied as the Akṣara—unchanging and prior to time—within whom the cosmic order is contained; as Pati, He remains transcendent while enabling the appearance of the world-egg in the primal waters.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is contemplative—meditating on the Linga as the Akṣara (nirvikāra reality) that contains and regulates manifestation, aligning the yogin toward Pati beyond Pāśa.