Shloka 1

पीतवासा-कल्पः, माहेश्वरी-दर्शनम्, रौद्री-गायत्री, महायोगेन अपुनर्भवः

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच एकत्रिंशत्तमः कल्पः पीतवासा इति स्मृतः ब्रह्मा यत्र महाभागः पीतवासा बभूव ह

Transliteration

sūta uvāca ekatriṃśattamaḥ kalpaḥ pītavāsā iti smṛtaḥ brahmā yatra mahābhāgaḥ pītavāsā babhūva ha

Translation

सूत उवाच । एकत्रिंशत्तमः कल्पः पीतवासा इति स्मृतः । ब्रह्मा यत्र महाभागः पीतवासा बभूव ह ॥

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta (the narrator)

• uvāca: said

• ekatriṃśattamaḥ: thirty-first

• kalpaḥ: cosmic aeon/cycle

• pītavāsā: ‘yellow-robed’, clad in yellow garments

• iti: thus

• smṛtaḥ: is remembered/known

• brahmā: Brahmā (the creator)

• yatra: wherein/in which (Kalpa)

• mahābhāgaḥ: greatly fortunate, illustrious

• pītavāsā: wearing yellow garments

• babhūva: became/appeared

• ha: indeed (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Suta

Characters & Entities

• Suta
• Brahma

FAQs

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

It sets the cosmological frame (Kalpa) for the narrative: Linga-pūjā and Shiva-tattva teachings are often presented as recurring revelations across cycles of creation, so naming the Kalpa anchors when those revelations unfold.

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

Indirectly: by defining the Kalpa through Brahmā’s manifestation, it implies the Shaiva view that even Brahmā’s creative role operates within a higher order—Pati (Shiva) as the transcendent regulator of cycles, while Brahmā remains a functional agent within creation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific pūjā-vidhi or Pāśupata-yoga practice is stated in this verse; it functions as a chapter-opening marker identifying the Kalpa that contextualizes subsequent Shaiva teachings and observances.