Shloka 16

क्षुपदधीचिसंवादः — शिलादतपः, वरसीमा, मेघवाहनकल्पे त्रिदेवसमागमः

Devanagari script

शक्र उवाच स्थाने संशयितुं विप्र तव वक्ष्यामि कारणम् कल्पे तत्पुरुषे वृत्तं ब्रह्मणः परमेष्ठिनः

Transliteration

śakra uvāca sthāne saṃśayituṃ vipra tava vakṣyāmi kāraṇam kalpe tatpuruṣe vṛttaṃ brahmaṇaḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ

Translation

ศักระกล่าวว่า “โอ้พราหมณ์ ความสงสัยของท่านชอบแล้ว เราจักบอกเหตุ—เหตุการณ์ในตัตปุรุษกัลป์เกี่ยวกับพรหมา ผู้เป็นปรเมษฐิน”

Word by Word

• शक्रः (śakraḥ): Indra, lord of the Devas

• उवाच (uvāca): said

• स्थाने (sthāne): in the proper place/rightly

• संशयितुम् (saṃśayitum): to doubt, to question

• विप्र (vipra): O Brahmin

• तव (tava): your

• वक्ष्यामि (vakṣyāmi): I shall explain/tell

• कारणम् (kāraṇam): the cause, reason

• कल्पे (kalpe): in a Kalpa, cosmic aeon

• तत्पुरुषे (tatpuruṣe): in the Tatpuruṣa (named) Kalpa

• वृत्तम् (vṛttam): what happened, the event/account

• ब्रह्मणः (brahmaṇaḥ): of Brahmā

• परमेष्ठिनः (parameṣṭhinaḥ): of Parameṣṭhin, the highest seated (epithet of Brahmā).

Speaker

Shakra (Indra)

Characters & Entities

• Shakra (Indra)
• Brahma (Parameshthin)

FAQs

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

It sets up a cosmological backstory (a Kalpa account) that typically grounds why the Devas and Brahmā seek clarity—preparing the listener for teachings where Śiva as Pati becomes the ultimate resolution beyond doubt.

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

Indirectly: by validating doubt and promising its cause, the narrative points toward Śiva-tattva as the final explanatory principle behind creation-events, where Pati alone dispels the pasha of ignorance.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is named in this verse; it functions as a narrative preface that commonly leads into Shaiva instruction—often culminating in Linga-centric pūjā or Pāśupata-oriented understanding of bondage and liberation.