Shloka 15

Adhyaya 75: Nishkala–Sakala Shiva, Twofold Linga, and the Supremacy of Dhyana-Yajna

Devanagari script

यदा समरसे निष्ठो योगी ध्यानेन पश्यति ध्यानयज्ञरतस्यास्य तदा संनिहितः शिवः

Transliteration

yadā samarase niṣṭho yogī dhyānena paśyati dhyānayajñaratasyāsya tadā saṃnihitaḥ śivaḥ

Translation

യോഗി സമരസാവസ്ഥയില്‍ സ്ഥിരനായി ധ്യാനത്തിലൂടെ ദര്‍ശിക്കുമ്പോള്‍, ധ്യാനയജ്ഞത്തില്‍ നിരതനായ ആ সাধകനോട് ശിവന്‍ സന്നിഹിതനായി—സാക്ഷാത്—ഉപസ്ഥിതനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यदा (yadā): when

• समरसे (samarase): in equal-taste/equanimous relish, non-dual evenness of experience

• निष्ठः (niṣṭhaḥ): firmly established, steady

• योगी (yogī): the yogic practitioner

• ध्यानेन (dhyānena): by meditation

• पश्यति (paśyati): sees, directly perceives

• ध्यानयज्ञरतस्य (dhyānayajñaratasya): of one engaged in the ‘sacrifice’ of meditation

• अस्य (asya): of this (person)

• तदा (tadā): then

• संनिहितः (saṃnihitaḥ): present, proximate, immediately accessible

• शिवः (śivaḥ): Lord Śiva (Pati, the Lord who grants grace).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Linga Purana teachings to the sages of Naimisharanya; verse states a general siddhanta on yogic realization of Shiva)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that true Linga-worship is not only external ritual but also antar-yāga: when the devotee offers dhyāna as a yajña and abides in equanimity (samarasa), Śiva is experienced as immediately present—making inner worship the living core of Linga-upāsanā.

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

Śiva-tattva is portrayed as saṃnihita—directly accessible through purified awareness. For the pashu (individual soul) loosening pāśa (bondage) via steady meditation, Pati (Śiva) is not distant but revealed as an immediate, grace-bearing presence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhyāna-yajña: treating meditation itself as sacrificial offering. The yogic discipline emphasized is steady absorption grounded in samarasa (equanimity), through which direct perception (darśana) of Śiva arises.