Shloka 96

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

यदाप्नोति यदादत्ते यच्चात्ति विषयानयम् यच्चास्य सततं भावस् तस्मादात्मा निरुच्यते

Transliteration

yadāpnoti yadādatte yaccātti viṣayānayam yaccāsya satataṃ bhāvas tasmādātmā nirucyate

Translation

ఏది పొందుతుందో, ఏది స్వీకరిస్తుందో, ఏది ఈ విషయాలను అనుభవిస్తుందో, మరియు దాని నిత్య అంతర్భావం ఏదో—అందువల్ల అది ‘ఆత్మ’ అని చెప్పబడుతుంది.

Word by Word

• yat: that which

• āpnoti: attains/experiences

• yat: that which

• ādatte: takes/assumes/appropriates

• yat ca: and that which

• atti: eats/enjoys/consumes

• viṣayān: sense-objects

• ayam: these/this (as presented)

• yat ca: and that which

• asya: of it/of this being

• satatam: constantly/always

• bhāvaḥ: state/disposition/inner tendency

• tasmāt: therefore

• ātmā: the Self

• nirucyate: is declared/defined/termed

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shaiva teaching on Atman within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It redirects worship from mere outer ritual to inner discernment: the true aim of Linga-puja is recognizing the Ātman as the experiencer within, and ultimately offering that limited ‘I-enjoyer’ (pashu-bhoktṛ) into Shiva, the supreme Pati.

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

By defining the Ātman as the one that experiences and maintains a continuous bhāva, it highlights the contrast between the individual pashu (limited experiencer under pāśa) and Shiva-tattva, the unbound Pati whose consciousness is not conditioned by sense-objects.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It supports Pashupata-style inward practice: witnessing the processes of ‘attaining, taking, and enjoying’ as functions of the embodied self, cultivating vairāgya (dispassion) and turning awareness toward Shiva as the freeing Lord beyond pāśa (bondage).