Shloka 23

अलिङ्ग-लिङ्ग-निरूपणं तथा प्राकृत-सृष्टिवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

आवृणोद्रसमात्रं वै देवः साक्षाद्विभावसुः आवृण्वाना गन्धमात्रम् आपः सर्वरसात्मिकाः

Transliteration

āvṛṇodrasamātraṃ vai devaḥ sākṣādvibhāvasuḥ āvṛṇvānā gandhamātram āpaḥ sarvarasātmikāḥ

Translation

火神毗婆婆苏（Vibhāvasu，Agni）亲自显现，遮覆了唯味之微细（rasa-tanmātra）；而诸水以“具一切味”为自性，复又遮覆了唯香之微细（gandha-tanmātra）。

Word by Word

• आवृणोत्: veiled/covered

• रस-मात्रम्: taste alone (the subtle principle of rasa)

• वै: indeed

• देवः: the deity

• साक्षात्: directly/in person

• विभावसुः: Vibhāvasu (Agni, fire)

• आवृण्वाना: while veiling/covering

• गन्ध-मात्रम्: fragrance alone (the subtle principle of gandha)

• आपः: the Waters

• सर्व-रस-आत्मिकाः: whose essence is all tastes/rasas

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmology to the Sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Vibhavasu)
• Apah (Waters)

FAQs

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

It frames sense-qualities (taste and fragrance) as coverings in creation; Linga-worship aims at turning the Pashu inward from these coverings (pāśa) toward Pati, the formless Lord indicated by the Linga.

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

By showing how elemental powers veil subtle qualities, it implies Shiva-tattva as the un-veiled Reality beyond the tanmātras and bhūtas—Pati who is not limited by sensory attributes.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Sense-restraint (indriya-nigraha) and subtle-object transcendence: in Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā, the seeker relinquishes fixation on rasa and gandha, using worship and meditation to cut pāśa and abide in Shiva.