Shloka 16

प्रलय-तत्त्वलयः, नीललोहित-रुद्रः, अष्टमूर्तिस्तवः, एवं ब्रह्मणो वैराग्यम्

Devanagari script

ससर्ज सकलं तस्मात् स्वाङ्गादेव चराचरम् ततो ब्रह्माणमसृजद् ब्रह्मा रुद्रं पितामहः

Transliteration

sasarja sakalaṃ tasmāt svāṅgādeva carācaram tato brahmāṇamasṛjad brahmā rudraṃ pitāmahaḥ

Translation

അവന്റെ തന്നെ സ്വാംഗങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു സകല ചരാചര ജഗത്തും ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് അവൻ ബ്രഹ്മാവിനെ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു; പിതാമഹനായ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് പിന്നെ രുദ്രനെ പ്രസ്ഫुटിപ്പിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• ससर्ज: created/emitted

• सकलम्: the entire (all)

• तस्मात्: from him/from that (source)

• स्वाङ्गात्: from (his) own body/limbs

• एव: indeed/only

• चराचरम्: moving and unmoving beings

• ततः: then/thereafter

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā

• असृजत्: created/produced

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā

• रुद्रम्: Rudra (Shiva as the fierce principle)

• पितामहः: the Grandsire/Grandfather (creator-ancestor)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the creation sequence to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Rudra
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames all creation as arising from the Supreme source, preparing the Shaiva view that the Linga signifies the transcendent Pati from whom the cosmos and its governing deities proceed—making Linga worship a return to the primal origin.

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

By presenting Rudra as a manifested principle within the cosmic order, it points to Shiva-tattva as the divine power that both transcends creation (as the source) and enters it as the Lord (Pati) who can liberate the bound souls (pashu) from bondage (pāśa).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; its takeaway supports Pashupata Yoga’s contemplative foundation—meditating on the universe as emerging from Pati, cultivating detachment from pāśa and devotion to Shiva as the causal ground.