Shloka 23

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

अटित्वा विविधांल्लोकान् विष्णुर्नानाविधाश्रयान् ततो वर्षसहस्रान्ते नान्तं हि ददृशे यदा

Transliteration

aṭitvā vividhāṃllokān viṣṇurnānāvidhāśrayān tato varṣasahasrānte nāntaṃ hi dadṛśe yadā

Translation

വിഷ്ണു പല ലോകങ്ങളിലായി സഞ്ചരിച്ചു, നാനാവിധ ആശ്രയങ്ങൾ സ്വീകരിച്ചു; എങ്കിലും ആയിരം വർഷം കഴിഞ്ഞിട്ടും അതിന്റെ അന്ത്യം കണ്ടില്ല।

Word by Word

• अटित्वा: having wandered/traversed

• विविधान् लोकान्: various worlds

• विष्णुः: Vishnu

• नानाविध-आश्रयान्: many kinds of supports/abodes/refuges

• ततः: then/thereupon

• वर्ष-सहस्र-अन्ते: at the end of a thousand years

• न: not

• अन्तम्: the end/limit

• हि: indeed

• ददृशे: (he) saw/beheld

• यदा: when

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga-anveshana episode)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes the Linga as the ananta-stambha—Shiva’s limitless sign—whose beginning and end cannot be grasped by even great deities, grounding Linga-puja in reverence for the transcendent Pati.

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

By showing that no ‘end’ is found even after immense cosmic searching, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as boundless and beyond measure—Pati who exceeds all loka-based categories and supports.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is humility and śaraṇāgati (surrender): the pashu’s effort alone cannot reach the Absolute; liberation arises when the seeker turns from mere wandering to devotion and inner alignment with the Linga (Pashupata orientation).