Shloka 81

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

Devanagari script

कपालमेकं द्यौर्जज्ञे कपालमपरं क्षितिः उल्बं तस्य महोत्सेधो यो ऽसौ कनकपर्वतः

Transliteration

kapālamekaṃ dyaurjajñe kapālamaparaṃ kṣitiḥ ulbaṃ tasya mahotsedho yo 'sau kanakaparvataḥ

Translation

ആ കപാലത്തിന്റെ ഒരു ഭാഗം ദ്യൗ (ആകാശം) ആയി, മറ്റേ ഭാഗം ഭൂമിയായി; അതിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യപിണ്ഡത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മഹോന്നതമായ ഉയർച്ച ഉദിച്ചു—അതേ സ്വർണപർവ്വതം।

Word by Word

• कपालम् (kapālam): skull-bowl, cosmic ‘skull’ form

• एकम् (ekam): one (portion)

• द्यौः (dyauḥ): heaven, the celestial realm

• जज्ञे (jajñe): was born, came into being

• कपालम् अपरम् (kapālam aparam): another skull-portion

• क्षितिः (kṣitiḥ): earth, the terrestrial realm

• उल्बम् (ulbam): central mass, embryo-like core, thick middle portion

• तस्य (tasya): of that

• महोत्सेधः (mahotsedhaḥ): great height, lofty elevation

• यः (yaḥ): which

• असौ (asau): that very

• कनकपर्वतः (kanaka-parvataḥ): the Golden Mountain

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos itself as emerging from a Shiva-marked symbol (kapāla imagery), supporting the Shaiva view that all sacred forms—mountain, earth, and heaven—are valid loci for Linga-centered worship and consecration.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the transcendent Pati whose ordered manifestation (vyakta) becomes the very structure of heaven and earth; the world is not independent, but arises within Shiva’s sovereign, meaning-giving reality.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi is stated, but the verse underwrites tirtha-and-mountain sanctity—supporting practices like Linga-pratishtha and pilgrimage-based devotion, which in Shaiva discipline become aids for loosening pasha (bondage) and orienting the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Shiva).