Shloka 11

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

युगान्तकोटी तौ तस्य धर्मकामावुभौ स्मृतौ ईषादण्डस्तथाव्यक्तं बुद्धिस्तस्यैव नड्वलः

Transliteration

yugāntakoṭī tau tasya dharmakāmāvubhau smṛtau īṣādaṇḍastathāvyaktaṃ buddhistasyaiva naḍvalaḥ

Translation

Vào lúc tận cùng các thời đại, hai điều ấy—Dharma và Kāma—được ghi nhớ như cặp đôi của Ngài. Cây gậy thúc (īṣā-daṇḍa) của Ngài cũng chính là Avyakta, Đấng Vô Hiển; và Buddhi, trí tuệ phân biệt của Ngài, quả thật là sợi thòng lọng (pāśa) ràng buộc, chế ngự và dẫn dắt muôn loài.

Word by Word

• yugānta: end of an age/aeon

• koṭī: multitude/crore (vastness)

• tau: those two

• tasya: of him (of that Lord/cosmic principle)

• dharma: righteous order/merit

• kāmau: desire/creative impulse

• ubhau: both

• smṛtau: are remembered/are taught

• īṣā: goad/impelling rod

• daṇḍaḥ: staff/rod

• tathā: likewise

• avyaktaṃ: the unmanifest (Prakṛti in seed state)

• buddhiḥ: intellect/discriminative faculty

• tasyaiva: indeed his/that very one’s

• naḍvalaḥ: noose/bond (restraining cord

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Purana doctrine to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva (Pati) as the inner governor of cosmic principles—Dharma, Kāma, Avyakta, and Buddhi—so Linga worship is not merely external ritual but contemplation of the Lord who transcends and directs the tattvas.

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

Shiva is implied as the sovereign principle who holds together opposites and functions—ethical order (Dharma) and creative desire (Kāma)—and who commands the unmanifest source (Avyakta) and the binding/disciplining power of intellect (Buddhi), revealing him as Pati over Pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pāśupata-style inner practice is suggested: using Buddhi (discrimination) to recognize and loosen Pasha (bondage) while meditating on the Linga as the transcendent Pati who impels (īṣā-daṇḍa) and restrains (noose) the mind and cosmos.