Shloka 4

ब्रह्मणो वरप्रदानम् — शिवस्य परत्वप्रतिपादनम् तथा वराहेण भूमेः पुनःस्थापनम्

Devanagari script

मामाहुर् ऋषयः प्रेक्ष्य प्रधानं प्रकृतिं तथा अव्यक्तमजमित्येवं भवन्तं पुरुषस्त्विति

Transliteration

māmāhur ṛṣayaḥ prekṣya pradhānaṃ prakṛtiṃ tathā avyaktamajamityevaṃ bhavantaṃ puruṣastviti

Translation

உண்மையைச் சரியாகக் கண்ட முனிவர்கள் என்னைப்பற்றி—‘இவன் பிரதானம், இவன் பிரக்ருதி, இவன் அவ்யக்தம், இவன் அஜன் (பிறவியற்றவன்)’ என்று கூறினர்; அதுபோல உம்மை ‘புருஷன்’—உள்ளுறை ஆண்டவன் (பதி)—என்று அறிகின்றனர்।

Word by Word

• माम् (mām): me

• आहुः (āhuḥ): declared/called

• ऋषयः (ṛṣayaḥ): the seers

• प्रेक्ष्य (prekṣya): having perceived/discerned

• प्रधानम् (pradhānam): the primal principle (Pradhāna)

• प्रकृतिम् (prakṛtim): Nature/matrix (Prakṛti)

• तथा (tathā): and also

• अव्यक्तम् (avyaktam): the unmanifest

• अजम् (ajam): unborn

• इति (iti): thus

• एवम् (evaṃ): in this manner

• भवन्तम् (bhavantam): you (venerable one)

• पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ): Purusha/conscious Lord

• तु (tu): indeed

• इति (iti): so (they say/know).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the doctrinal teaching within the Purva-Bhaga cosmology section)

Characters & Entities

• Rishis
• Purusha
• Pradhana
• Prakriti
• Avyakta

FAQs

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

It frames the object of worship as the supreme Pati who is spoken of through cosmological categories (Pradhana, Prakriti, Avyakta, Aja), guiding the devotee beyond mere material principle to Shiva as the transcendent-indwelling Lord signified by the Linga.

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

Shiva-tattva is indicated as the Purusha who is unborn and unmanifest, yet spoken of as the ground of Pradhana/Prakriti—showing that the seers use conceptual names while pointing to the one supreme consciousness (Pati) beyond Pasha (bondage) and the field of Prakriti.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is tattva-viveka (discriminative insight) central to Pashupata-oriented sadhana: recognizing the Pati distinct from Pashu and Pasha, so that puja and japa are anchored in right knowledge of the Lord as Purusha beyond the unmanifest.