Shloka 53

प्रसाद-ज्ञान-योग-मोक्षक्रमः तथा व्यास-रुद्रावतार-मन्वन्तर-परम्परा

Devanagari script

विमला ब्रह्मभूयिष्ठा ज्ञानयोगपरायणाः एते पाशुपताः सिद्धा भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहाः

Transliteration

vimalā brahmabhūyiṣṭhā jñānayogaparāyaṇāḥ ete pāśupatāḥ siddhā bhasmoddhūlitavigrahāḥ

Translation

Suci tanpa noda, teguh dalam Brahman, berbakti pada yoga pengetahuan yang membebaskan—merekalah Pāśupata yang telah sempurna, tubuhnya disaputi bhasma, abu suci.

Word by Word

• विमलाः: stainless/pure

• ब्रह्मभूयिष्ठाः: abiding in Brahman/most established in Brahman-state

• ज्ञानयोगपरायणाः: wholly devoted to jñāna-yoga (knowledge as the path)

• एते: these

• पाशुपताः: followers of Paśupati (Shiva) / Pāśupata ascetics

• सिद्धाः: perfected/accomplished ones

• भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहाः: having bodies smeared/dusted with bhasma (sacred ash)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents the Pāśupata ideal behind Linga-centered devotion: purity, Brahman-abidance, and jñāna-yoga, outwardly marked by bhasma—an emblem of surrender to Paśupati (Pati) and the burning of pasha (bondage).

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

By calling the Pāśupatas “brahmabhūyishṭha,” it points to Shiva as Paśupati—the supreme Pati whose realization culminates in Brahman-abidance, where the pashu (soul) is purified and freed from pasha through knowledge and yogic steadiness.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Pāśupata discipline rooted in jñāna-yoga is highlighted, along with the Shaiva observance of bhasma-dhāraṇa (smearing sacred ash) as a constant reminder of vairāgya, inner purification, and the destruction of karmic bonds.