Shloka 4

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

Devanagari script

यज्ज्ञानं निर्मलं शुद्धं निर्विकल्पं निराश्रयम् गुरुप्रकाशकं ज्ञानम् इत्यन्ये मुनयो द्विजाः

Transliteration

yajjñānaṃ nirmalaṃ śuddhaṃ nirvikalpaṃ nirāśrayam guruprakāśakaṃ jñānam ityanye munayo dvijāḥ

Translation

जे ज्ञान निर्मळ, शुद्ध, विकल्परहित व निराश्रय आहे, आणि गुरु-तत्त्वाला (पती-शिवाचा प्रकाशक म्हणून) प्रकाशित करते—असे अन्य मुनि व द्विज ‘खरे ज्ञान’ म्हणतात।

Word by Word

• yat-jñānam: that knowledge

• nirmalam: spotless, free from impurity (mala)

• śuddham: pure

• nirvikalpam: without conceptual alternations (vikalpa)

• nirāśrayam: without dependence on supports, self-sustained

• guru-prakāśakam: that which makes the Guru’s light/revelation manifest (the Guru as the revealer)

• jñānam: knowledge

• iti: thus

• anye: others

• munayaḥ: sages

• dvijāḥ: twice-born (learned Brahmins)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching on jñāna as transmitted in the Purana)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Guru

FAQs

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

It shifts Linga-upāsanā from mere external rite to inner realization: true worship culminates in stainless, supportless knowledge that removes pasha (bondage) and turns the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Śiva).

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

By defining liberating knowledge as nirvikalpa and nirāśraya, it implies Śiva-tattva as self-luminous and beyond limiting conceptualizations—known through purified awareness rather than mental constructs.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights the jñāna-limb of Pāśupata-oriented sādhana: purification (śuddhi), withdrawal from vikalpa, and Guru-upadeśa leading to steady, non-conceptual contemplation aligned with Śiva.