Shloka 107

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

स्वयंभुवो ऽपि वृत्तस्य कालो विश्वात्मनस्तु यः न शक्यः परिसंख्यातुम् अपि वर्षशतैरपि

Transliteration

svayaṃbhuvo 'pi vṛttasya kālo viśvātmanastu yaḥ na śakyaḥ parisaṃkhyātum api varṣaśatairapi

Translation

แม้กาลแห่งการหมุนเวียนกิจของสวยัมภู (พรหมา)—ซึ่งเป็นกาลของวิศวาตมัน—ก็ไม่อาจคำนวณได้ ต่อให้นับกันเป็นร้อยปี.

Word by Word

• svayaṃbhuvaḥ: Svayambhū (Brahmā)

• api: even

• vṛttasya: of the ongoing cycle/operation (of creation)

• kālaḥ: Time

• viśvātmanas: of the Universal Self, of the cosmic Spirit

• tu: indeed

• yaḥ: which

• na: not

• śakyaḥ: possible

• parisaṃkhyātum: to enumerate, to compute fully

• api: even

• varṣa-śataiḥ: by hundreds of years

• api: even

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana account to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Kala (Time)
• Vishvatman (Universal Self)

FAQs

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

It establishes that cosmic Time itself is immeasurable; Linga-worship points the devotee (paśu) to Pati, Śiva, who is beyond Kāla and thus beyond the limits of creation’s cycles.

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

By calling Time ‘of the Universal Self’ (viśvātman), the verse implies an all-pervading ground of the cosmos; in Śaiva Siddhānta framing, Śiva as Pati is the transcendent-immanent Lord who governs Kāla yet is not bound by it.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is Pāśupata-oriented vairāgya and meditation: contemplate the immeasurability of Kāla to loosen pāśa (bondage) and stabilize the mind in the timeless Lord signified by the Liṅga.