Shloka 28

विष्णुरुवाच—एकाक्षर-प्रणव-लिङ्ग-व्याप्ति-शिवस्तोत्रम्

Devanagari script

महात्मने नमस्तुभ्यं प्रज्ञारूपाय वै नमः चितये चितिरूपाय स्मृतिरूपाय वै नमः

Transliteration

mahātmane namastubhyaṃ prajñārūpāya vai namaḥ citaye citirūpāya smṛtirūpāya vai namaḥ

Translation

महात्मने नमस्तुभ्यं प्रज्ञारूपाय वै नमः । चितये चितिरूपाय स्मृतिरूपाय वै नमः ॥

Word by Word

• mahātmane: to the Great-Souled (Mahātman, Shiva)

• namaḥ/namas te (namastubhyaṃ): salutations to You

• prajñā-rūpāya: whose form is prajñā (higher wisdom/discernment)

• vai: indeed

• citaye: to cit (pure consciousness)

• citi-rūpāya: whose form is citi (awareness/knowing power)

• smṛti-rūpāya: whose form is smṛti (memory/recollection)

• tubhyam: to You

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a received hymn of praise within the chapter’s stuti context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga worship as devotion to Shiva not merely as a form, but as the very ground of inner knowing—wisdom, awareness, and memory—through which the pashu turns inward toward Pati.

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

Shiva is praised as cit/citi—the luminous consciousness that enables cognition—and as the subtle powers of prajñā and smṛti, indicating Pati as the immanent source of all inner faculties while remaining transcendent.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A jñāna-oriented stuti aligned with Pashupata Yoga: contemplative recognition of Shiva as the witness-consciousness behind mental functions, supporting inward purification and loosening of pasha.