Shloka 16

Adhyaya 75: Nishkala–Sakala Shiva, Twofold Linga, and the Supremacy of Dhyana-Yajna

Devanagari script

नास्ति विज्ञानिनां शौचं प्रायश्चित्तादि चोदना विशुद्धा विद्यया सर्वे ब्रह्मविद्याविदो जनाः

Transliteration

nāsti vijñānināṃ śaucaṃ prāyaścittādi codanā viśuddhā vidyayā sarve brahmavidyāvido janāḥ

Translation

สำหรับผู้ตั้งมั่นในวิญญาณญาณแท้ ย่อมไม่มีข้อบัญญัติเรื่องความสะอาดพิธีกรรมหรือการชดใช้บาปต่าง ๆ; ผู้รู้พรหมวิทยาทั้งปวงย่อมบริสุทธิ์ด้วยญาณนั้นเอง

Word by Word

• नास्ति: there is not

• विज्ञानिनाम्: of the realized/true knowers

• शौचम्: ritual purity/cleansing observance

• प्रायश्चित्त-आदि: expiations and the like

• चोदना: scriptural injunction/prescriptive command

• विशुद्धाः: purified, made completely pure

• विद्यया: by (spiritual) knowledge

• सर्वे: all

• ब्रह्म-विद्या-विदः: knowers of Brahma-vidyā (liberating knowledge)

• जनाः: people, persons

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching tradition within the Linga Purana)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It prioritizes inner realization over external purification: devotion and knowledge of Shiva as Pati make the practitioner intrinsically pure, which is the heart of mature Linga-upāsanā.

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

By implying that liberating knowledge itself purifies, it aligns with Shiva-tattva as the supreme Pati whose grace and realization sever pāśa (bondage) and elevate the pashu (soul) beyond ritual dependence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A jñāna-centered Pāśupata orientation is implied: when Brahma-vidyā is firm, expiations and external śauca become secondary to steady realization and disciplined inner yoga.