Shloka 30

विष्णुरुवाच—एकाक्षर-प्रणव-लिङ्ग-व्याप्ति-शिवस्तोत्रम्

Devanagari script

अर्धनारीशरीराय अव्यक्ताय नमोनमः एकादशविभेदाय स्थाणवे ते नमः सदा

Transliteration

ardhanārīśarīrāya avyaktāya namonamaḥ ekādaśavibhedāya sthāṇave te namaḥ sadā

Translation

再三顶礼阿尔达那梨湿伐罗（Ardhanārīśvara），其身半为女相；亦顶礼不显之主（Avyakta）。我恒常礼拜汝，哦斯塔努（Sthāṇu），汝以十一种差别之相而示现。

Word by Word

• अर्ध-नारी-शरीराय: to the Lord whose body is half woman (Ardhanarishvara)

• अव्यक्ताय: to the Unmanifest, beyond sensory grasp

• नमो नमः: repeated salutations

• एकादश-विभेदाय: to the One having eleven divisions/forms (often understood as the eleven Rudras or elevenfold manifestation)

• स्थाणवे: to Sthanu, the Immovable/Steadfast Lord (a name of Shiva)

• ते: to You

• नमः: bow/salutation

• सदा: always, eternally

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a traditional Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Ardhanarishvara
• Rudras

FAQs

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

It identifies the worshipped Linga-tattva as Avyakta (Unmanifest) Shiva, while also affirming His immanent power as Shiva–Shakti (Ardhanarishvara), guiding devotees to honor both transcendence and presence in puja.

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

Shiva is praised as Avyakta (beyond form and conceptual grasp) and as Sthanu (the steady, unchanging Pati), yet capable of elevenfold manifestation—showing the Lord as both nirguna-like transcendence and saguna manifestation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes stuti and namaskara as a core limb of Shiva-puja and Pashupata-oriented devotion—steady remembrance of Pati (Sthanu) while contemplating the non-dual Shiva–Shakti unity.