Shloka 104

Adhyaya 8: Yogasthanas, Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama-Siddhi, and Shiva-Dhyana leading to Samadhi

Devanagari script

कैवल्यं चैव निर्वाणं निःश्रेयसम् अनुत्तमम् अमृतं चाक्षरं ब्रह्म ह्य् अपुनर्भवम् अद्भुतम्

Transliteration

kaivalyaṃ caiva nirvāṇaṃ niḥśreyasam anuttamam amṛtaṃ cākṣaraṃ brahma hy apunarbhavam adbhutam

Translation

అదే కైవల్యం, అదే నిర్వాణం—అనుత్తమ నిశ్రేయసం. అది అమృతం, అక్షర బ్రహ్మం; అపునర్భవమైన అద్భుత స్థితి.

Word by Word

• कैवल्यम्: absolute aloneness/liberation

• च एव: and indeed

• निर्वाणम्: extinction of bondage, final release

• निःश्रेयसम्: the supreme good leading to liberation

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed

• अमृतम्: deathless/immortal

• च: and

• अक्षरम्: imperishable

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, the Absolute

• हि: truly/indeed

• अपुनर्भवम्: non-return (no rebirth)

• अद्भुतम्: wondrous, beyond ordinary comprehension

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s moksha teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the highest fruit of Shiva-bhakti and Linga-upasana as apunarbhava—liberation where the pashu is freed from pasha and does not return to birth.

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

By calling the goal “akṣara brahma” and “amṛta,” it points to Shiva as Pati—the imperishable, deathless Absolute whose realization culminates in Kaivalya/Nirvāṇa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes the end-state of Pashupata-oriented sadhana—detachment and Shiva-realization—rather than a specific rite, indicating moksha as the culmination of disciplined worship and yoga.