Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच सतां जितात्मनां साक्षाद् द्विजातीनां द्विजोत्तमाः धर्मज्ञानां च साधूनाम् आचार्याणां शिवात्मनाम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca satāṃ jitātmanāṃ sākṣād dvijātīnāṃ dvijottamāḥ dharmajñānāṃ ca sādhūnām ācāryāṇāṃ śivātmanām

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า “โอ้ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐ! ท่านทั้งหลายเป็นสัตบุรุษผู้ชนะตน เป็นทวิชผู้สูงสุดโดยประจักษ์ เป็นสาธุผู้รู้ธรรม และเป็นอาจารย์ผู้มีอาตมันตั้งมั่นในพระศิวะ”

Word by Word

• सूत उवाच: Sūta said

• सताम्: of the good/true ones

• जितात्मनाम्: of those who have mastered the self (mind and senses)

• साक्षात्: directly, manifestly, in truth

• द्विजातीनाम्: among the twice-born (initiated classes)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born

• धर्मज्ञानाम्: of those who know dharma

• च: and

• साधूनाम्: of saints/virtuous ones

• आचार्याणाम्: of teachers/preceptors

• शिवात्मनाम्: of those whose self is Śiva-centered/Śiva-ensouled

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Suta

FAQs

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

It establishes the authority of Śiva-centered ācāryas and sādhus as the proper transmitters of Linga-related dharma, grounding worship in disciplined self-mastery (jitātmā) rather than mere external ritual.

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

Śiva-tattva is implied as the inner ground of realized teachers—“śivātmā”—suggesting that true knowledge of dharma culminates in identity-with/abidance-in Pati (Śiva), the Lord beyond bondage.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights the yogic prerequisite of self-conquest (jitātmā)—a core Pāśupata orientation—by which the paśu (soul) becomes fit for Śiva-upāsanā and the removal of pāśa (bondage).