Shloka 5

Varaha-Pradurbhava Context: Prahlada’s Bhakti, Narasimha’s Ugra-Form, and Shiva’s Sharabha Intervention

Devanagari script

सो ऽपि विष्णोस्तथाभूतं दृष्ट्वा पुत्रं समाहितम् नमो नारायणायेति गोविन्देति मुहुर्मुहुः

Transliteration

so 'pi viṣṇostathābhūtaṃ dṛṣṭvā putraṃ samāhitam namo nārāyaṇāyeti govindeti muhurmuhuḥ

Translation

Vendo o filho de Viṣṇu assim, perfeitamente sereno e recolhido, ele repetia sem cessar: “Namo Nārāyaṇāya” e “Govinda”. Nisso se revela o sinal da bhakti verdadeira: quando o paśu (o eu individual) se firma, o louvor flui naturalmente ao Senhor supremo (Pati), reconhecido como o regente interior mesmo entre formas divinas.

Word by Word

• सोऽपि: he also

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu

• तथाभूतम्: in that state/thus transformed

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen

• पुत्रम्: the son

• समाहितम्: composed, concentrated, inwardly collected

• नमः: homage

• नारायणाय: to Nārāyaṇa

• इति: thus

• गोविन्द इति: (saying) “Govinda”

• मुहुः मुहुः: again and again, repeatedly

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana; internal scene description)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Narayana
• Govinda

FAQs

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

It highlights the inner prerequisite for Linga-upasana: samāhita (collected mind). Repeated remembrance and homage are presented as the natural expression of a stabilized pashu approaching the Lord (Pati), which is the inner spirit behind external worship.

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

Though the names spoken are of Nārāyaṇa/Govinda, the Linga Purana’s Shaiva frame reads this as recognition of the one supreme Pati who can be praised through different divine names—pointing to non-contradiction in the highest tattva beyond sectarian limitation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Mantra-japa and smarana (repetitive remembrance) arising from samādhāna (mental steadiness). This aligns with the yogic discipline emphasized in Shaiva practice—steadying the pashu so devotion becomes continuous (muhur muhuḥ).