Shloka 53

भुवनकोशस्वभाववर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-पर्वत-लोकविन्यासः तथा यक्ष-उमा-प्रकाशः

Devanagari script

आद्यन्तहीनो भगवान् अनन्तः पुमान्प्रधानप्रमुखाश् च सप्त प्रधानमूर्तिस्त्वथ षोडशाङ्गो महेश्वरश्चाष्टतनुः स एव

Transliteration

ādyantahīno bhagavān anantaḥ pumānpradhānapramukhāś ca sapta pradhānamūrtistvatha ṣoḍaśāṅgo maheśvaraścāṣṭatanuḥ sa eva

Translation

ಆದಿ-ಅಂತವಿಲ್ಲದ ಅನಂತ ಭಗವಂತನು ಪರಮ ಪುರುಷನು. ಪ್ರಧಾನದಿಂದ ಆರಂಭವಾದ ಏಳು ತತ್ತ್ವಗಳ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಅವನೇ ಆಧಾರವಾಗಿ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಪ್ರಧಾನಮೂರ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ ಅವನೇ ಷೋಡಶ ವಿಕಾರರೂಪವೂ; ಅದೇ ಮಹೇಶ್ವರನು ಅಷ್ಟತನುವೂ ಆಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ.

Word by Word

• ādya-anta-hīnaḥ: devoid of beginning and end

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord

• anantaḥ: the Infinite

• pumān: the Supreme Person (Puruṣa/Pati)

• pradhāna: Prakṛti, the unmanifest source

• pramukhāḥ: beginning with / foremost

• sapta: seven

• ca: and

• pradhāna-mūrtiḥ: having Pradhāna as (his) form / the embodiment of Pradhāna

• tu: indeed

• atha: then/also

• ṣoḍaśa-aṅgaḥ: sixteenfold (the sixteen tattvas/evolutes)

• maheśvaraḥ: the Great Lord (Śiva as Pati)

• ca: and

• aṣṭa-tanuḥ: of eight forms/bodies (aṣṭamūrti)

• saḥ eva: he alone / that very one

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Maheshvara
• Ananta

FAQs

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

It establishes Shiva as the beginningless Pati who pervades Pradhāna, the sixteen evolutes, and the aṣṭamūrti cosmos—so Linga worship is directed to the transcendent Lord present within all tattvas, not merely a material emblem.

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

Shiva is described as anādi-ananta (without beginning/end), as Puruṣa/Pati, and as the immanent ground of Pradhāna and its evolutes—transcending bondage (pāśa) while supporting the field in which the pashu experiences and is liberated.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to tattva-viveka central to Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā: discerning Pati as distinct from Pradhāna and the sixteen evolutes, while meditating on Shiva’s aṣṭamūrti presence during Linga-pūjā and inner contemplation.