Shloka 55

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

सर्वात्मा सर्वविख्यातः सर्वः सर्वकरो भवः जटी दण्डी शिखण्डी च सर्वगः सर्वभावनः

Transliteration

sarvātmā sarvavikhyātaḥ sarvaḥ sarvakaro bhavaḥ jaṭī daṇḍī śikhaṇḍī ca sarvagaḥ sarvabhāvanaḥ

Translation

അവൻ സർവ്വാത്മാവ്, സർവ്വത്ര പ്രസിദ്ധൻ; അവൻ തന്നേ സർവ്വം. ഭവസ്വരൂപനായി അവൻ എല്ലാറ്റിന്റെയും കർത്താവ്. അവൻ ജടാധാരി, ദണ്ഡധാരി സന്ന്യാസി, ശിഖണ്ഡധാരി; സർവ്വവ്യാപിയായി സർവ്വഭാവങ്ങളെ പുഷ്ടിപ്പെടുത്തി പ്രകാശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सर्वात्मा: the indwelling Self of all

• सर्वविख्यातः: universally renowned

• सर्वः: the All / the totality

• सर्वकरः: the maker/doer of all

• भवः: Bhava (Shiva as the Lord of becoming/existence)

• जटी: matted-haired ascetic

• दण्डी: staff-bearing renunciate / disciplinarian

• शिखण्डी: crested/adorned with a topknot/mark

• सर्वगः: all-pervading

• सर्वभावनः: the one who causes, nurtures, and perfects all beings/states

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s names as taught in the Linga Purana tradition)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the all-pervading Pati (Lord) who is present within all as the inner Self; thus Linga worship is not merely external ritual but recognition of the same Shiva pervading the worshipper (pashu), the worship (kriya), and the worshipped (Linga).

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

Shiva is portrayed as sarvātmā (immanent Self) and sarvagaḥ (transcendent-pervading), while also being sarvakaraḥ (the efficient cause of all becoming). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, He is Pati—independent, all-knowing, and the sovereign who governs pasha and liberates the pashu.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The names jati and daṇḍī point to the ascetic-yogic ideal central to Pashupata discipline: restraint, inner purification, and meditative identification with Shiva as the indwelling Self, which complements Linga-puja through mantra, dhyana, and niyama.