Shloka 81

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

Devanagari script

कपालमेकं द्यौर्जज्ञे कपालमपरं क्षितिः उल्बं तस्य महोत्सेधो यो ऽसौ कनकपर्वतः

Transliteration

kapālamekaṃ dyaurjajñe kapālamaparaṃ kṣitiḥ ulbaṃ tasya mahotsedho yo 'sau kanakaparvataḥ

Translation

Daripada kapāla, ‘mangkuk tengkorak’ Telur Kosmik itu, satu bahagian menjadi langit dan satu bahagian lagi menjadi bumi. Daripada jisim tengahnya bangkit ketinggian agung—Gunung Emas ini—sebagai tanda yang nyata dalam kosmos tertib milik Śiva.

Word by Word

• कपालम् (kapālam): skull-bowl, cosmic ‘skull’ form

• एकम् (ekam): one (portion)

• द्यौः (dyauḥ): heaven, the celestial realm

• जज्ञे (jajñe): was born, came into being

• कपालम् अपरम् (kapālam aparam): another skull-portion

• क्षितिः (kṣitiḥ): earth, the terrestrial realm

• उल्बम् (ulbam): central mass, embryo-like core, thick middle portion

• तस्य (tasya): of that

• महोत्सेधः (mahotsedhaḥ): great height, lofty elevation

• यः (yaḥ): which

• असौ (asau): that very

• कनकपर्वतः (kanaka-parvataḥ): the Golden Mountain

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos itself as emerging from a Shiva-marked symbol (kapāla imagery), supporting the Shaiva view that all sacred forms—mountain, earth, and heaven—are valid loci for Linga-centered worship and consecration.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the transcendent Pati whose ordered manifestation (vyakta) becomes the very structure of heaven and earth; the world is not independent, but arises within Shiva’s sovereign, meaning-giving reality.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi is stated, but the verse underwrites tirtha-and-mountain sanctity—supporting practices like Linga-pratishtha and pilgrimage-based devotion, which in Shaiva discipline become aids for loosening pasha (bondage) and orienting the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Shiva).