Shloka 71

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

बालक्रीडनकैर्देवः क्रीडते शङ्करः स्वयम् प्रधानमव्ययो योनिर् अव्यक्तं प्रकृतिस्तमः

Transliteration

bālakrīḍanakairdevaḥ krīḍate śaṅkaraḥ svayam pradhānamavyayo yonir avyaktaṃ prakṛtistamaḥ

Translation

देव शंकर स्वतः बालकाच्या खेळण्यांसारखे (जगताशी) क्रीडा करतात। प्रधान ही अव्यय योनी आहे; तीच अव्यक्त प्रकृती—तमस्-तत्त्व आहे।

Word by Word

• बालक्रीडनकैः: with children’s playthings/toys

• देवः: the Lord, the Divine

• क्रीडते: plays, sports

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)

• स्वयम्: Himself

• प्रधानम्: Pradhāna, the primordial ground of nature

• अव्ययः: imperishable, undecaying

• योनिः: womb, source-cause

• अव्यक्तम्: the unmanifest

• प्रकृतिः: Prakṛti, material nature

• तमः: tamas, darkness/inertia

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological teaching within the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames creation as Śiva’s līlā (divine play): the Liṅga is worshipped as the transcendent Pati who stands above Pradhāna/Prakṛti, the womb of manifest existence.

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

Śiva is presented as self-sufficient and sovereign—He “plays” while Pradhāna/Prakṛti functions as the unmanifest causal matrix; thus Shiva-tattva is not reduced to matter but rules it.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway aligns with Pāśupata discernment (viveka): in worship and yoga, contemplate the difference between Pati (Śiva) and Pāśa (Prakṛti/tamas), loosening bondage for the Pāśu (soul).