Adhyaya 45: Rudra as Sarvatma—Seven Lokas, Seven Talas, and the Cosmic Body of Shiva
तस्य देवस्य रुद्रस्य शरीरं वै जगत्त्रयम् तस्मात्प्रणम्य तं वक्ष्ये जगतां निर्णयं शुभम्
tasya devasya rudrasya śarīraṃ vai jagattrayam tasmātpraṇamya taṃ vakṣye jagatāṃ nirṇayaṃ śubham
สามโลกทั้งปวงเป็นกายแท้ของพระรุทระผู้เป็นเทพนั้น ดังนั้นเมื่อข้าพเจ้ากราบนอบน้อมแล้ว จักกล่าวคำวินิจฉัยอันเป็นมงคลว่าด้วยโลกทั้งหลายตามความจริง
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It frames all worlds as Śiva’s own body, so Linga-pūjā is not merely symbolic worship but reverence to the cosmic Pati who pervades and supports the entire jagat.
Śiva as Rudra is presented as the immanent ground of the cosmos—Pati whose śarīra is jagat-traya—implying the world’s dependence on Him while He remains the sovereign reality to be saluted before true teaching.
Praṇāma (humble prostration) before instruction—an essential Shaiva discipline that aligns the paśu (individual soul) toward Pati, preparing one for right understanding that weakens pāśa (bondage).