Shloka 44

Devanagari script

विपर्ययेण चौषध्यः प्रनष्टास्ताश्चतुर्दश मत्वा धरां प्रविष्टास्ता इत्यौषध्यः पितामहः

Transliteration

viparyayeṇa cauṣadhyaḥ pranaṣṭāstāścaturdaśa matvā dharāṃ praviṣṭāstā ityauṣadhyaḥ pitāmahaḥ

Translation

తర్వాత విపర్యయం వల్ల ఆ పద్నాలుగు ఔషధులు నశించాయని భావించి అవి భూమిలో ప్రవేశించాయి; ఔషధుల విషయమై పితామహుడు (బ్రహ్మ) ఇలా పలికాడు।

Word by Word

• viparyayeṇa: by reversal/contrary change (cosmic inversion)

• ca: and

• auṣadhyaḥ: medicinal herbs/plants

• pranaṣṭāḥ: destroyed, lost

• tāḥ: those

• caturdaśa: fourteen

• matvā: having understood/considered

• dharām: the Earth (Dharā)

• praviṣṭāḥ: entered, became absorbed

• iti: thus

• auṣadhyaḥ: the herbs (as the topic)

• pitāmahaḥ: the Grandfather, Brahmā

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Brahma’s account within the Purva-Bhaga creation narrative)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Dharā (Earth)

FAQs

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

It frames nature’s sustaining powers (auṣadhi) as conserved within Earth during cosmic upheaval, supporting the Shaiva view that all life-supporting energies remain under Pati (Shiva) and re-emerge by divine order—an idea echoed in Linga worship as stability amid dissolution.

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

Though Shiva is not named directly, the verse reflects Shiva-tattva as the governing principle behind cosmic reversals and restorations: beings and powers withdraw into their substratum (Earth/prakriti) and later manifest again—Pashus remain bound by Pasha until Pati’s ordinance restores order.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The motif of ‘entering into Earth’ parallels yogic withdrawal (pratyāhāra/laya) in Pashupata-oriented practice: energies are gathered back into their source, then directed outward again through disciplined worship and mantra aligned to Shiva’s cosmic regulation.