Shloka 51

भुवनकोशस्वभाववर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-पर्वत-लोकविन्यासः तथा यक्ष-उमा-प्रकाशः

Devanagari script

अदेहिनस् त्वहो देहम् अखिलं परमात्मनः अस्याष्टमूर्तेः शर्वस्य शिवस्य गृहमेधिनः

Transliteration

adehinas tvaho deham akhilaṃ paramātmanaḥ asyāṣṭamūrteḥ śarvasya śivasya gṛhamedhinaḥ

Translation

അഹോ അത്ഭുതം! അദ്ദേഹം ദേഹരഹിതനായിട്ടും—ഈ സമസ്ത ജഗത്ത് തന്നെ ആ പരമാത്മാവിന്റെ ദേഹമാണ്; അഷ്ടമൂർത്തിയായ ശർവൻ, ശിവൻ—ഗൃഹമേധിയായി നിലകൊണ്ടും ലോകത്തെ ധരിച്ചു പോഷിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ.

Word by Word

• अदेहिनः: of the bodiless One

• तु: indeed

• अहो: behold/indeed

• देहम्: body

• अखिलम्: entire, all

• परमात्मनः: of the Supreme Self

• अस्य: of this (Lord)

• अष्टमूर्तेः: of the eight-formed manifestation (Aṣṭamūrti)

• शर्वस्य: of Śarva (a name of Shiva, the One who destroys evil)

• शिवस्य: of Śiva (the auspicious Lord)

• गृहमेधिनः: of the householder/world-sustainer (gṛhastha aspect)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Linga Purana doctrine to the sages of Naimisharanya, reflecting the Purana’s Shaiva siddhanta framing)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Paramatman
• Sharva

FAQs

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

It establishes the core Linga-Purana vision that Shiva is both transcendent (bodiless) and immanent (the whole cosmos as His body), so Linga worship is not merely symbolic—it is worship of the all-pervading Pati present in every form.

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

Shiva is the Paramatman beyond embodiment, yet manifests as Aṣṭamūrti—an eightfold cosmic presence—showing His sovereignty as Pati: untouched by limitation while pervading and sustaining all tattvas and beings (paśus).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It points to Pashupata-style bhāvanā (contemplation): perceiving all experience as occurring within Shiva’s cosmic body, which supports inner purification and loosening of pāśa (bondage) alongside external Linga-pūjā.