Shloka 113

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

अथर्वशीर्षः सामास्य ऋक्सहस्रोर्जितेक्षणः यजुः पादभुजो गुह्यः प्रकाशौजास्तथैव च

Transliteration

atharvaśīrṣaḥ sāmāsya ṛksahasrorjitekṣaṇaḥ yajuḥ pādabhujo guhyaḥ prakāśaujāstathaiva ca

Translation

അവന്റെ ശിരസ് അഥർവ്വവേദം; അവന്റെ മുഖം സാമവേദം; അവന്റെ ശക്തമായ ദൃഷ്ടി സഹസ്ര ഋക്കുകൾ; അവന്റെ പാദങ്ങൾ യജുസ്—അവൻ ഗുഹ്യൻ, അന്തർലീനനായ പ്രഭു; അതുപോലെ പ്രകാശമയ ഓജസ്സുള്ളവൻ।

Word by Word

• atharva-śīrṣaḥ: he whose head is Atharva (Veda)

• sāma-āsyaḥ: he whose mouth/face is the Sāma-Veda

• ṛk-sahasra-ūrjita-īkṣaṇaḥ: he whose gaze is empowered and (like) a thousand Ṛks

• yajuḥ-pāda-bhujaḥ: he whose feet (and supporting limbs) are the Yajur formulas

• guhyaḥ: the secret/hidden Lord, beyond ordinary grasp

• prakāśa-aujās: whose ojas is radiance—manifest luminous power

• tathaiva ca: and so indeed/likewise

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s epithets to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes that the Linga is not merely a symbol but the very source and inner meaning of Vedic mantra—Atharva, Sāman, Ṛk, and Yajus—so Linga-puja is worship of the Veda-bodied Pati (Shiva) through mantra and offering.

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

Shiva is both guhya (transcendent, hidden from sense and mind) and prakāśaujās (self-revealing luminous power). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, He is Pati—beyond pasha (bondage) and yet the revealer of knowledge that frees the pashu (soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-centered worship: recitation of Vedic hymns and their Shaiva import while meditating that all Vedas culminate in Shiva. Yogically, it points to inner mantra-japa where the seeker turns from outer sound to the hidden Lord (guhya) as inner light (prakāśa).