Shloka 71

Devanagari script

योगात्मानो महात्मानः सर्वे ते ह्यूर्ध्वरेतसः प्राप्य माहेश्वरं योगं रुद्रलोकाय ते गताः

Transliteration

yogātmāno mahātmānaḥ sarve te hyūrdhvaretasaḥ prāpya māheśvaraṃ yogaṃ rudralokāya te gatāḥ

Translation

യോഗാത്മാക്കളായ മഹാത്മാക്കൾ എല്ലാവരും ഊർധ്വരേതസ്സരായിരുന്നു. മാഹേശ്വരയോഗം പ്രാപിച്ച് അവർ രുദ്രലോകത്തിലേക്ക് പോയി.

Word by Word

• योगात्मानः: those whose self is Yoga, yoga-ensouled

• महात्मानः: great-souled ones

• सर्वे: all

• ते: they

• हि: indeed

• ऊर्ध्वरेतसः: with upward-flowing/semen sublimated, celibate and restrained

• प्राप्य: having attained

• माहेश्वरं योगं: the Yoga of Maheśvara (Śiva), Pāśupata-oriented union with Pati

• रुद्रलोकाय: to Rudra-loka (Śiva’s realm)

• ते गताः: they went

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra
• Maheśvara

FAQs

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

It states the promised fruit of Śiva-centered discipline: by realizing Maheśvara-Yoga (devotion, meditation, and inner worship of Pati), the practitioner transcends bondage (pāśa) and reaches Rudraloka.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the supreme Lord and final refuge—whose Yoga is not merely technique but a state of union that grants passage beyond saṁsāra to Rudra’s realm.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Brahmacarya and sublimation (ūrdhva-retas) supporting Maheśvara/Pāśupata Yoga—steady restraint and meditative absorption directed to Śiva.