Shloka 103

Adhyaya 8: Yogasthanas, Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama-Siddhi, and Shiva-Dhyana leading to Samadhi

Devanagari script

अलक्षणमनिर्देश्यम् अणोरल्पतरं शुभम् निरालम्बम् अतर्क्यं च विनाशोत्पत्तिवर्जितम्

Transliteration

alakṣaṇamanirdeśyam aṇoralpataraṃ śubham nirālambam atarkyaṃ ca vināśotpattivarjitam

Translation

ಶುಭ ಶಿವನು ಲಕ್ಷಣರಹಿತನು, ವಾಕ್ಯದಿಂದ ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟಗೊಳಿಸಲಾಗದವನು; ಅಣುವಿಗಿಂತಲೂ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮ, ನಿರಾಲಂಬ, ತರ್ಕಾತೀತ, ಉತ್ಪತ್ತಿ-ವಿನಾಶವರ್ಜಿತನು.

Word by Word

• अलक्षणम्: without (defining) marks/attributes

• अनिर्देश्यम्: inexpressible, not denotable by speech

• अणोः: than an atom, than the minute

• अल्पतरम्: even smaller/subtler

• शुभम्: auspicious, beneficent (Śiva)

• निरालम्बम्: without support, independent

• अतर्क्यम्: beyond logic/inference

• च: and

• विनाश: destruction

• उत्पत्ति: origination/birth

• वर्जितम्: devoid of, excluded from

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Śiva-tattva to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Liṅga-pūjā in the insight that the Liṅga signifies the markless (alakṣaṇa) Pati—Śiva beyond name-and-form—so worship moves the paśu (soul) from external symbols toward inner realization.

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

Śiva is presented as nirguṇa and transcendent: inexpressible (anirdeśya), beyond inference (atarkya), independent (nirālamba), and untouched by origination and dissolution—thus the eternal Pati who is never bound by pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implies Pāśupata-style inward contemplation: meditating on the supportless, inexpressible Śiva while loosening conceptual grasping, so the paśu disengages from pāśa through steady dhyāna rather than mere argumentation.