Shloka 101

Adhyaya 8: Yogasthanas, Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama-Siddhi, and Shiva-Dhyana leading to Samadhi

Devanagari script

महेश्वरं हृदि ध्यायेन् नाभिपद्मे सदाशिवम् चन्द्रचूडं ललाटे तु भ्रूमध्ये शंकरं स्वयम्

Transliteration

maheśvaraṃ hṛdi dhyāyen nābhipadme sadāśivam candracūḍaṃ lalāṭe tu bhrūmadhye śaṃkaraṃ svayam

Translation

സാധകൻ ഹൃദയത്തിൽ മഹേശ്വരനെ ധ്യാനിക്കണം; നാഭി-പദ്മത്തിൽ സദാശിവനെ; ലലാടത്തിൽ ചന്ദ്രചൂഡനെ; ഭ്രൂമധ്യത്തിൽ സ്വയം ശങ്കരനെ—അന്തര്യാമിയായ പതി, പശുവിനെ ബന്ധിക്കുന്ന പാശങ്ങളെ ശിഥിലമാക്കുന്നവൻ।

Word by Word

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara, the Great Lord

• हृदि: in the heart

• ध्यायेत्: should meditate

• नाभि-पद्मे: in the navel-lotus

• सदाशिवम्: Sadāśiva (ever-auspicious Śiva)

• चन्द्रचूडम्: Candracūḍa, the moon-crested Lord

• ललाटे: on the forehead

• तु: indeed

• भ्रू-मध्ये: in the middle of the eyebrows

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara, the beneficent Lord

• स्वयम्: Himself, directly

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Shaiva dhyana-vidhi within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Maheshvara
• Sadashiva
• Chandrachuda
• Shankara

FAQs

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

It shifts linga-puja from outer ritual alone to antar-puja: Śiva is installed and worshipped within key inner centers, making the body a temple where the linga is realized as consciousness.

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

Śiva is presented as the immanent Pati—present in heart, navel-lotus, forehead, and brow-center—accessible through dhyāna, and capable of removing pāśa (bondage) from the paśu (individual soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A dhyāna-krama aligned with inner centers (hṛd, nābhi-padma, lalāṭa, bhrūmadhya), characteristic of Pāśupata-oriented contemplative worship and concentration at the ājñā (brow) for direct Śiva-realization.