Shloka 18

प्रलय-तत्त्वलयः, नीललोहित-रुद्रः, अष्टमूर्तिस्तवः, एवं ब्रह्मणो वैराग्यम्

Devanagari script

नारायणं पुनर्ब्रह्मा ब्रह्माणं च पुनर्भवः तदा विचार्य वै ब्रह्मा दुःखं संसार इत्यजः

Transliteration

nārāyaṇaṃ punarbrahmā brahmāṇaṃ ca punarbhavaḥ tadā vicārya vai brahmā duḥkhaṃ saṃsāra ityajaḥ

Translation

Phạm Thiên lại quán niệm Nārāyaṇa, và Bhava (Śiva) lại quán niệm Phạm Thiên. Khi ấy Phạm Thiên, Đấng Vô Sinh (Aja), suy xét và kết luận: “Saṃsāra này quả thật là khổ”—một sợi dây pāśa trói buộc, thúc giục paśu (linh hồn) tìm về Pati, Śiva.

Word by Word

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)

• पुनः: again

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā (accusative, ‘Brahmā’ as the object of contemplation)

• च: and

• पुनर्भवः: Punarbha-va/Bhava (Śiva, ‘the one who becomes again’)

• तदा: then

• विचार्य: having reflected/considered

• वै: indeed

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā

• दुःखम्: suffering

• संसारः: worldly transmigration/saṃsāra

• इति: thus

• अजः: the Unborn (epithet of Brahmā here).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Brahma’s internal reflection within the Purva-Bhaga narrative)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Brahma
• Shiva

FAQs

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

By declaring saṃsāra as duḥkha, the verse supplies the inner motive for Linga-upāsanā: the pashu recognizes bondage (pāśa) and turns toward Pati (Śiva) through devotion, worship, and discipline.

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

Śiva is indicated as Bhava, the supreme principle who stands in conscious relation to creation; the mutual “contemplation” motif points to Śiva as the transcendent Pati who enables order and liberation beyond the suffering of saṃsāra.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The practice emphasized is viveka (discriminative reflection) leading to vairāgya, which in Shaiva Siddhānta frames the entry into Pāśupata discipline—worship and yogic turning of the pashu toward Śiva as Pati.