Shloka 39

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वाप्रतिमकर्मा हि भगवानसुरान्तकृत् किं नु खल्वत्र मे नाभ्यां भूतमन्यत्कृतालयम्

Transliteration

śrutvāpratimakarmā hi bhagavānasurāntakṛt kiṃ nu khalvatra me nābhyāṃ bhūtamanyatkṛtālayam

Translation

श्रुत्वैतत् अप्रतिमकर्मा भगवान् असुरान्तकृत् चिन्तयामास—“किं नु खल्वत्र मे नाभ्यां भूतमन्यत् कृतालयम्?”

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard

• अप्रतिमकर्मा: one whose actions are unrivalled

• हि: indeed

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord

• असुरान्तकृत्: slayer/ender of the asuras

• किम् नु: what indeed?

• खलु: surely/indeed

• अत्र: here

• मे: my

• नाभ्याम्: from the navel

• भूतम्: come into being/arisen

• अन्यत्: another (distinct)

• कृतालयम्: having made (it) a dwelling/abode

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating an internal reflection of Vishnu/Hari)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Asuras

FAQs

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

It sets up the primordial wonder of creation (srishti) and the appearance of a new being from the navel-lotus, a narrative foundation that later culminates in recognizing the Supreme Pati (Shiva) as the ultimate source beyond created forms—supporting linga as the formless-sign (aniconic) focus of worship.

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

Indirectly: by showing that even a supreme deity within creation (Vishnu, the asura-destroyer) encounters something “other” arising within cosmic process, the text prepares the Shaiva Siddhanta distinction that Pati (Shiva) transcends all srishti-based hierarchies and is not limited by the emergence of beings or abodes.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No explicit puja-vidhi appears in this verse; the takeaway is contemplative discernment (viveka) central to Pashupata orientation—recognizing the difference between the created (pashu within pasha) and the transcendent Lord (Pati) who is later indicated through linga-tattva.