Shloka 59

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

भवमत्यद्भुतं दृष्ट्वा नारायणमथाब्रवीत् अप्रमेयो महावक्त्रो दंष्ट्री ध्वस्तशिरोरुहः

Transliteration

bhavamatyadbhutaṃ dṛṣṭvā nārāyaṇamathābravīt aprameyo mahāvaktro daṃṣṭrī dhvastaśiroruhaḥ

Translation

เมื่อทอดพระเนตรภวะในรูปอันอัศจรรย์ยิ่ง นารายณะจึงตรัสว่า—พระองค์หาประมาณมิได้ มีพระพักตร์ใหญ่ มีเขี้ยวเด่น และมวยผมชฎาถูกเผาจนสิ้นไป।

Word by Word

• भवम्: Bhava (Śiva)

• अत्यद्भुतम्: exceedingly wondrous

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)

• अथ: then

• अब्रवीत्: spoke

• अप्रमेयः: immeasurable, beyond measure

• महावक्त्रः: great-faced, vast-mouthed

• दंष्ट्री: possessing fangs/tusks

• ध्वस्त-शिरोरुहः: one whose head-hair is destroyed/ruined (burnt off).

Speaker

Suta (narrating the episode; the verse introduces Narayana speaking after seeing Bhava)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Narayana
• Bhava

FAQs

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

It frames the mood of darśana: the devotee (here Nārāyaṇa) encounters Bhava as the immeasurable Pati, a key Shaiva emphasis behind Linga worship—approaching the limitless Lord through a sacred sign (liṅga) and reverent recognition.

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

By stressing “aprameya” (beyond measure), it points to Śiva-tattva as transcendent and not graspable by ordinary pramāṇas; Bhava appears in a fearsome, cosmic form, indicating the Lord’s sovereignty over creation and dissolution.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is contemplative—Pāśupata-oriented reverence (bhakti mixed with insight) begins with awe and recognition of Pati as immeasurable, which grounds later puja and yogic discipline.