Shloka 40

ईशानकल्पवृत्तान्तः तथा लैङ्गपुराणस्य संक्षेप-सूची

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणः परमं ज्ञानम् आदातुं मीनता हरेः सर्वावस्थासु विष्णोश् च जननं लीलयैव तु

Transliteration

brahmaṇaḥ paramaṃ jñānam ādātuṃ mīnatā hareḥ sarvāvasthāsu viṣṇoś ca jananaṃ līlayaiva tu

Translation

برہما کے اعلیٰ ترین گیان کو حاصل کرنے کے لیے ہری نے مچھلی کا روپ دھارا؛ اور وِشنو کی تجلیات ہر حالت میں محض لیلا (الٰہی کھیل) کے طور پر ظاہر ہوتی ہیں۔

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः (brahmaṇaḥ): of Brahmā

• परमं (paramaṃ): supreme

• ज्ञानम् (jñānam): knowledge

• आदातुम् (ādātuṃ): to take/receive

• मीनता (mīnatā): fish-form/being a fish

• हरेः (hareḥ): of Hari (Viṣṇu)

• सर्वावस्थासु (sarvāvasthāsu): in all states/conditions

• विष्णोः (viṣṇoḥ): of Viṣṇu

• च (ca): and

• जननम् (jananaṃ): birth/manifestation

• लीलया एव (līlayā eva): only as play

• तु (tu): indeed

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahma

FAQs

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

By framing divine manifestations as līlā, the verse supports a Shaiva reading where all forms and avataras are subordinate appearances within the greater reality of Pati—ultimately directing devotion toward the formless-yet-signifying Linga of Mahādeva.

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

Though it names Hari and Brahmā, the doctrinal implication in the Linga Purana’s Shaiva horizon is that all conditioned births and states are līlā—while Shiva-tattva (Pati) is the unconditioned ground that transcends avasthās and governs the cosmos through power (śakti).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is contemplative: in Pāśupata-oriented practice, the sādhaka cultivates vairāgya by recognizing all worldly states (avasthās) as transient līlā, stabilizing attention on Pati (Śiva) through Linga-upāsanā and inner recollection.