Shloka 23

Vighneshvara-Prashna and Deva-Krita Shiva-Stava

Adhyaya 104

Devanagari script

स्थानपञ्चकसंस्थाय पञ्चधाण्डबहिः क्रमात् ब्रह्मणे विष्णवे तुभ्यं कुमाराय नमोनमः

Transliteration

sthānapañcakasaṃsthāya pañcadhāṇḍabahiḥ kramāt brahmaṇe viṣṇave tubhyaṃ kumārāya namonamaḥ

Translation

അഞ്ചു സ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ അധിഷ്ഠിതനും, ക്രമമായി അഞ്ചു ആവരണങ്ങൾക്കും പുറത്തുള്ളവനുമായ നിനക്കു നമോ നമഃ. ബ്രഹ്മാ, വിഷ്ണു, കൂടാതെ നീയായ ദിവ്യ കുമാരൻ (സ്കന്ദൻ)—നിനക്കു വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും നമസ്കാരം।

Word by Word

• स्थान-पञ्चक (sthāna-pañcaka): the five stations/levels of reality

• संस्थाय (saṃsthāya): abiding, established

• पञ्च (pañca): five

• धाण्ड-बहिḥ (dhāṇḍa-bahiḥ): outside/beyond the enclosures or sheath-like limitations

• क्रमात् (kramāt): in due order, successively

• ब्रह्मणे (brahmaṇe): to Brahmā

• विष्णवे (viṣṇave): to Viṣṇu

• तुभ्यं (tubhyaṃ): to You

• कुमाराय (kumārāya): to Kumāra/Skanda

• नमो नमः (namo namaḥ): repeated salutations

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a received stuti within the Linga Purana’s discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Kumara (Skanda)

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-centered devotion as a movement from limited, fivefold coverings toward the transcendent Pati, while honoring cosmic functions (Brahmā and Viṣṇu) as subordinate to the higher Shaiva principle manifesting even as Kumāra.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the one who both pervades structured reality (the five stations) and surpasses limitation (beyond the five enclosures), i.e., immanent and transcendent—Pati who frees the paśu from pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes stuti (praise) as a Pāśupata-aligned practice: through ordered contemplation of tattva-levels and surrender (namo namaḥ), the practitioner seeks to transcend the fivefold bonds and approach the Lord’s liberating grace.