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Shloka 5

Adhyaya 22 — शिवानुग्रहः, ब्रह्मतपः, एकादशरुद्राः तथा प्राणतत्त्वम्

तावूचतुर्महात्मानौ संनिरीक्ष्य परस्परम् भगवान् किं तु यत्ते ऽद्य न विज्ञानं त्वया विभो

tāvūcaturmahātmānau saṃnirīkṣya parasparam bhagavān kiṃ tu yatte 'dya na vijñānaṃ tvayā vibho

तौ चतुर्महात्मानौ परस्परं संनिरीक्ष्येदमूचतुः— “भगवन्, किं नु यत्तेऽद्य विभो सम्यग्विज्ञानं नोपलभ्यते?”

ताव् (tāv)those two
ताव् (tāv):
ऊचतुः (ūcatuḥ)said (the two of them)
ऊचतुः (ūcatuḥ):
महात्मानौ (mahātmānau)the two great-souled ones
महात्मानौ (mahātmānau):
संनिरीक्ष्य (saṃnirīkṣya)having looked closely
संनिरीक्ष्य (saṃnirīkṣya):
परस्परम् (parasparam)at each other/mutually
परस्परम् (parasparam):
भगवान् (bhagavān)O Blessed Lord
भगवान् (bhagavān):
किम् तु (kiṃ tu)but/however/indeed
किम् तु (kiṃ tu):
यत् (yat)that/which
यत् (yat):
ते (te)to/for you
ते (te):
अद्य (adya)today/now
अद्य (adya):
न (na)not
न (na):
विज्ञानम् (vijñānam)true knowledge/discriminative realization
विज्ञानम् (vijñānam):
त्वया (tvayā)by you
त्वया (tvayā):
विभो (vibho)O all-pervading mighty one
विभो (vibho):

Two great beings (likely Brahma and Vishnu within Suta’s narration)

B
Brahma
V
Vishnu
S
Shiva

FAQs

It frames the central Purāṇic theme that mere power or status is insufficient without vijñāna—right recognition of Pati (Śiva) as the supreme reality, which Linga-worship is meant to awaken.

By addressing the Lord as “Vibhu” (all-pervading), it implies Shiva-tattva as omnipresent and transcendent, not grasped by ordinary cognition; true realization (vijñāna) is required to know Him as Pati beyond pasha-bound limitation.

The verse highlights jñāna/vijñāna as the inner limb of practice—aligned with Pāśupata orientation—where worship and austerity must culminate in discriminative realization that frees the pashu from pasha through recognition of Pati.