Shloka 4

Adhyaya 22 — शिवानुग्रहः, ब्रह्मतपः, एकादशरुद्राः तथा प्राणतत्त्वम्

Devanagari script

कौ भवन्तौ महात्मानौ परस्परहितैषिणौ समेतावंबुजाभक्षाव् अस्मिन् घोरे महाप्लवे

Transliteration

kau bhavantau mahātmānau parasparahitaiṣiṇau sametāvaṃbujābhakṣāv asmin ghore mahāplave

Translation

ഹേ മഹാത്മാക്കളേ, നിങ്ങൾ ഇരുവരും ആരാണ്—പരസ്പരഹിതം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവർ—താമരാഹാരം കഴിച്ച് ജീവിക്കുന്നവർ—ഈ ഭയങ്കര മഹാപ്ലവത്തിൽ ഇവിടെ ഒരുമിച്ച് വന്നത് എങ്ങനെ?

Word by Word

• कौ (kau): who (two)

• भवन्तौ (bhavantau): you two

• महात्मानौ (mahātmānau): great-souled, exalted beings

• परस्परहितैषिणौ (paraspara-hitaiṣiṇau): desiring each other’s good, mutually benevolent

• समेतौ (sametau): having met, assembled together

• अम्बुजाभक्षौ (ambujābhakṣau): lotus-eaters, those whose food is the lotus (ambuja)

• अस्मिन् (asmin): in this

• घोरे (ghore): terrible, dreadful

• महाप्लवे (mahāplave): Great Flood/Deluge

Speaker

Brahma (addressing Vishnu and Shiva in the deluge context, as framed by Suta’s narration)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Shiva

FAQs

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

By placing exalted beings together amid Pralaya, the verse points to the timeless Pati (Shiva) who remains the stable refuge when all forms dissolve—an underlying premise for Linga worship as the sign of the formless, enduring Lord.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as transcendent and sustaining even during cosmic dissolution; the scene emphasizes that the supreme reality is not broken by Pralaya and is recognized through auspicious qualities like mahātmyā (greatness) and hita (benevolence).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is contemplative: in Pāśupata orientation, the pashu turns inward to the Pati who remains present beyond pasha-bound conditions, even when the cosmos enters dissolution.