Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 78

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

गंभीररोषो गंभीरो गंभीरबलवाहनः न्यग्रोधरूपो न्यग्रोधो विश्वकर्मा च विश्वभुक्

Transliteration

gaṃbhīraroṣo gaṃbhīro gaṃbhīrabalavāhanaḥ nyagrodharūpo nyagrodho viśvakarmā ca viśvabhuk

Translation

Si Pati—Siya na ang poot ay malalim; Siya na di masukat ang lalim; Siya na ang lakas at sasakyan ay malalim at di mapipigil. Siya na nag-aanyong Nyagrodha (punong banyan) at Siya rin ang Nyagrodha; si Viśvakarmā, ang Arkitekto ng sansinukob; at si Viśvabhuk, ang Tagapagtaguyod at Tagapagtamasa ng kosmos—Panginoon ng lahat ng paśu (mga nilalang na nakagapos).

Word by Word

• गंभीर-रोषः: one whose anger is deep/terrible (awe-inspiring)

• गंभीरः: the unfathomable, profound One

• गंभीर-बल-वाहनः: he whose strength and conveyance/means are mighty and unassailable

• न्यग्रोध-रूपः: one having the form of the banyan tree

• न्यग्रोधः: the banyan itself (symbol of vastness and shelter)

• विश्व-कर्मा: the cosmic maker/architect

• च: and

• विश्व-भुक्: the sustainer/enjoyer of the universe (one who upholds and partakes of all).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shiva Sahasranama to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga’s Lord as the hidden depth behind all creation—both the cosmic maker (viśvakarmā) and the sustainer (viśvabhuk), the very Pati whom Linga-pūjā approaches beyond surface form.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as profound and immeasurable, capable of fierce protective power (gaṃbhīraroṣa) while simultaneously pervading and upholding the universe as its architect and indwelling sustainer—Pati beyond pasha, yet governing the order that binds paśus.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports Pāśupata-bhāva in japa and dhyāna: meditate on Shiva as the deep, all-supporting Pati (viśvabhuk) and cosmic source (viśvakarmā) while chanting the names, letting this insight loosen pasha (bondage) over the paśu (individual soul).