Shloka 43

Adhyaya 23: श्वेत-लोहित-पीत-कृष्ण-विश्व-कल्पेषु रुद्रस्वरूप-गायत्री-तत्त्ववर्णनम्

Devanagari script

तस्माच्च द्विपदाः सर्वे द्विस्तनाश् च नराः शुभाः तस्माच्चेयमजा भूत्वा सर्ववर्णा महेश्वरी

Transliteration

tasmācca dvipadāḥ sarve dvistanāś ca narāḥ śubhāḥ tasmācceyamajā bhūtvā sarvavarṇā maheśvarī

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് എല്ലാജീവികളും ദ്വിപദരായി; നരന്മാർ ശുഭരായി—ദ്വിസ്ഥനലക്ഷണത്തോടെ യുക്തരായി. അതുകൊണ്ട് ഈ അജയായ മഹേശ്വരി സർവ്വവർണങ്ങളുടെ മൂലകാരണമായി പ്രത്യക്ഷയായി.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that cause

• ca: and

• dvipadāḥ: two-footed beings

• sarve: all

• dvistanāḥ: having two breasts

• ca: and

• narāḥ: men/humans

• śubhāḥ: auspicious/benign

• tasmāt: therefore

• ca: and

• iyam: this (goddess)

• ajā: the Unborn (Shakti)

• bhūtvā: having become/manifesting

• sarvavarṇā: of all varṇas, possessing all colors/orders

• maheśvarī: Maheshvarī, the supreme Shakti of Maheshvara (Shiva).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Maheshvari
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga worship in cosmology: the Linga signifies Pati (Shiva) whose inseparable Shakti (Maheshvarī) manifests forms and orders; worship recognizes the transcendent cause behind embodied differentiation.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the causal ground (Pati) whose power is Maheshvarī; while Shiva remains transcendent, Shakti becomes the instrument of manifestation, producing ordered diversity without compromising the Unborn source.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse primarily highlights tattva-vicāra (contemplation on Pati–Shakti causality); in Pashupata-oriented practice, this becomes meditative discernment that loosens pāśa (bondage) by seeing the Lord as the true source of embodied identity.