Shloka 50

योगान्तरायाः, औपसर्गिकसिद्धयः, परवैराग्येन शैवप्रसादः

Devanagari script

एतावत्तत्त्वमित्युक्तं प्राधान्यं वैष्णवं पदम् ब्रह्मणा तद्गुणं शक्यं वेत्तुमन्यैर्न शक्यते

Transliteration

etāvattattvamityuktaṃ prādhānyaṃ vaiṣṇavaṃ padam brahmaṇā tadguṇaṃ śakyaṃ vettumanyairna śakyate

Translation

ดังนี้ได้กล่าวหลักการไว้เพียงเท่านี้: ประธานดั้งเดิมถูกเรียกว่า ‘ไวษณวะ-ปท’ คุณลักษณะของมันแม้พรหมาจึงจะรู้ได้; ผู้อื่นไม่อาจรู้ได้।

Word by Word

• etāvat: thus far/so much

• tattvam: the principle/reality

• iti: thus

• uktam: has been stated

• prādhānyam: the primacy/Pradhāna (primordial material cause)

• vaiṣṇavam: pertaining to Viṣṇu

• padam: state/abode/position

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā

• tad-guṇam: its qualities/attributes

• śakyam: possible/can be

• vettum: to know

• anyaiḥ: by others

• na: not

• śakyate: is possible/is able

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the doctrinal passage to the sages; reflecting an internal cosmological teaching)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahma

FAQs

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

It frames creation at the level of Pradhāna (the primordial cause) as a knowable but limited principle; Linga worship, by contrast, orients the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Śiva) who transcends Pradhāna and its guṇas.

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

By emphasizing that even Brahmā only knows the qualities of Pradhāna, the verse implicitly points beyond it to the higher, guṇa-transcending Lord—Śiva as Pati—who is not exhausted by material causality and is the ultimate ground of liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific ritual is prescribed; the takeaway is viveka (discrimination) in Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā—knowing Pradhāna as part of pasha (bondage) and seeking refuge in Śiva through Linga-upāsanā and yogic detachment from the guṇas.