Shloka 71

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

बालक्रीडनकैर्देवः क्रीडते शङ्करः स्वयम् प्रधानमव्ययो योनिर् अव्यक्तं प्रकृतिस्तमः

Transliteration

bālakrīḍanakairdevaḥ krīḍate śaṅkaraḥ svayam pradhānamavyayo yonir avyaktaṃ prakṛtistamaḥ

Translation

天神商羯罗（Śaṅkara）亲自游戏，宛如与孩童玩具嬉戏。原初的主质（Pradhāna）是不坏之胎；它即未显（Avyakta）——自性（Prakṛti），亦为黑暗之理（tamas）。

Word by Word

• बालक्रीडनकैः: with children’s playthings/toys

• देवः: the Lord, the Divine

• क्रीडते: plays, sports

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)

• स्वयम्: Himself

• प्रधानम्: Pradhāna, the primordial ground of nature

• अव्ययः: imperishable, undecaying

• योनिः: womb, source-cause

• अव्यक्तम्: the unmanifest

• प्रकृतिः: Prakṛti, material nature

• तमः: tamas, darkness/inertia

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological teaching within the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames creation as Śiva’s līlā (divine play): the Liṅga is worshipped as the transcendent Pati who stands above Pradhāna/Prakṛti, the womb of manifest existence.

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

Śiva is presented as self-sufficient and sovereign—He “plays” while Pradhāna/Prakṛti functions as the unmanifest causal matrix; thus Shiva-tattva is not reduced to matter but rules it.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway aligns with Pāśupata discernment (viveka): in worship and yoga, contemplate the difference between Pati (Śiva) and Pāśa (Prakṛti/tamas), loosening bondage for the Pāśu (soul).