Shloka 2

अघोरस्य प्रादुर्भावः कुमारकचतुष्टयं च योगमार्गः

Devanagari script

एकार्णवे तदा वृत्ते दिव्ये वर्षसहस्रके स्रष्टुकामः प्रजा ब्रह्मा चिन्तयामास दुःखितः

Transliteration

ekārṇave tadā vṛtte divye varṣasahasrake sraṣṭukāmaḥ prajā brahmā cintayāmāsa duḥkhitaḥ

Translation

当万有尽成一海（ekārṇava，一大同海），又经千年天岁之后，梵天欲生诸类，忧然沉思，筹度创生之始。

Word by Word

• ekārṇave: in the one ocean (single cosmic flood)

• tadā: then

• vṛtte: having occurred/come to pass

• divye: divine

• varṣa-sahasrake: in a thousand years

• sraṣṭu-kāmaḥ: wishing to create

• prajāḥ: creatures/progeny

• brahmā: Brahmā

• cintayāmāsa: reflected/pondered

• duḥkhitaḥ: distressed/sorrowful

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana; describing Brahma’s state within the narrative)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma

FAQs

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

It sets the pre-creation crisis: even Brahmā cannot initiate sṛṣṭi from the ekārṇava without the higher Shaiva principle (Pati). This narrative tension prepares for the revelation of Shiva’s transcendent support, later expressed through the Linga as the sign of the Supreme.

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

Indirectly: Brahmā’s sorrow and uncertainty imply a limit to secondary creators. In Shaiva Siddhānta terms, Pashu (individuals) and even cosmic agents remain bound by Pāśa (constraints of time and dissolution) until Pati—Shiva, the independent Lord—enables manifestation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No explicit ritual is stated; the key practice implied is dhyāna/cintana (deep contemplation). In the broader Linga Purana arc, such contemplation culminates in turning toward Shiva as Pati—later formalized as Shiva-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented discipline.