Shloka 20

नैमिषारण्ये सूतागमनम् — लिङ्गमाहात्म्यभूमिका तथा शब्दब्रह्म-ओङ्कार-लिङ्गतत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

अकारोकारमकारं स्थूलं सूक्ष्मं परात्परम् ओङ्काररूपम् ऋग्वक्त्रं समजिह्वासमन्वितम्

Transliteration

akārokāramakāraṃ sthūlaṃ sūkṣmaṃ parātparam oṅkārarūpam ṛgvaktraṃ samajihvāsamanvitam

Translation

അവൻ അ, ഉ, മ—സ്ഥൂലവും സൂക്ഷ്മവും, പരാത്പര പരമനും. അവന്റെ സ്വരൂപം ഓങ്കാരം; അവന്റെ മുഖം ഋഗ്വേദം; സമ്യക് ജിഹ്വാ—പവിത്ര ഉച്ചാരണശക്തിയാൽ യുക്തൻ।

Word by Word

• अकार (akāra): the letter ‘A’

• उकार (ukāra): the letter ‘U’

• मकार (makāra): the letter ‘M’

• स्थूलम् (sthūlam): gross, manifest

• सूक्ष्मम् (sūkṣmam): subtle, unmanifest

• परात्परम् (parātparam): beyond the beyond, transcendent Supreme

• ओङ्काररूपम् (oṅkāra-rūpam): having the form of Oṁ/Pranava

• ऋग्वक्त्रम् (ṛg-vaktram): whose face/mouth is the Ṛg-Veda

• समजिह्वा (sama-jihvā): well-formed/equipoised tongue

• समन्वितम् (samanvitam): endowed with, possessed of

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shaiva doctrine as taught in the Linga Purana’s opening)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Om (Pranava)
• Rig Veda

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga-upasana in the Pranava: the Linga’s deepest symbol is Oṁ itself, indicating Shiva as the all-pervading Pati present in both manifest (sthūla) and unmanifest (sūkṣma) reality.

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

Shiva is identified as parātpara—transcending all categories—yet also immanent as A-U-M. This expresses the Siddhanta framing of Pati as simultaneously beyond bondage (pāśa) and the inner ruler of the pashu (soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Japa and dhyāna on Pranava (Oṁ) as Shiva: contemplating A-U-M as the gross–subtle–transcendent Lord, aligning speech (Vedic tongue) and mind in Pashupata-oriented worship.