Shloka 42

दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः

Devanagari script

यस्तु दारुवने तस्मिंल् लिङ्गी दृष्टो ऽप्यलिङ्गिभिः युष्माभिर् विकृताकारः स एव परमेश्वरः

Transliteration

yastu dāruvane tasmiṃl liṅgī dṛṣṭo 'pyaliṅgibhiḥ yuṣmābhir vikṛtākāraḥ sa eva parameśvaraḥ

Translation

यस्तु तस्मिन् दारुवने लिङ्गीऽलिङ्गिभिरपि दृष्टः, युष्माभिर्विकृताकारः स एव परमेश्वरः।

Word by Word

• yaḥ: he who

• tu: indeed

• dāruvane: in Dāruvana (the forest)

• tasmin: in that

• liṅgī: the one bearing/manifesting the liṅga (marked by the liṅga)

• dṛṣṭaḥ: was seen

• api: even

• aliṅgibhiḥ: by those without the liṅga / those who reject liṅga-worship

• yuṣmābhiḥ: by you

• vikṛta-ākāraḥ: of altered/peculiar form

• saḥ eva: he alone

• parameśvaraḥ: the Supreme Lord, Pati (Shiva).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Daruvana episode; internal voice addressing the forest ascetics)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It asserts that the very being mocked or rejected as “liṅgī” in Dāruvana is truly Parameśvara; thus liṅga is not a mere sign but a revelatory mark of Shiva’s supreme reality.

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

Shiva is identified as Pati (Parameśvara) who may appear in a “vikṛta” (unfamiliar) form to dissolve ignorance; His supremacy is not dependent on outward form but on His essential lordship over pashu and pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is the primacy of liṅga-bhāvanā and liṅga-pūjā—training perception to recognize Pati through the liṅga, rather than judging by external appearances—aligned with Pāśupata-style inner transformation.