Shloka 38

Devanagari script

संहर्त्रे च पिशङ्गाय अव्ययाय व्ययाय च गङ्गासलिलधाराय आधाराय गुणात्मने

Transliteration

saṃhartre ca piśaṅgāya avyayāya vyayāya ca gaṅgāsaliladhārāya ādhārāya guṇātmane

Translation

礼敬那施行毁摄者；礼敬那赭金色之主；礼敬不坏者，亦礼敬令万法归于坏灭者；礼敬承载恒河流水之主；礼敬一切之依止；礼敬其自性为诸德（guṇa）之戏而仍为超越系缚的至上主宰（Pati）。

Word by Word

• saṃhartre: to the destroyer/dissolver

• ca: and

• piśaṅgāya: to the tawny-hued one

• avyayāya: to the imperishable one

• vyayāya: to the one who causes decay/dissolution

• ca: and

• gaṅgā-salila-dhārāya: to the bearer of the stream of Ganga’s waters

• ādhārāya: to the support/foundation

• guṇa-ātmane: to him whose nature is constituted of the guṇas (as Lord of prakṛti)

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Ganga

FAQs

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

It functions as a nāma-stuti used in Linga-pūjā: the devotee contemplates Shiva as the cosmic Dissolver and the very Support (ādhāra) of all, stabilizing the mind in Pati-tattva while offering worship to the Linga.

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

Shiva is praised as avyaya (imperishable) yet also vyaya (the power presiding over dissolution), indicating His transcendence of change while governing change—Pati who rules prakṛti and its guṇas without becoming a bound paśu.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Nāma-japa and dhyāna are implied: meditating on Shiva as Gaṅgādhara and Ādhāra supports inner purification and steadiness, aligning with Pāśupata-oriented contemplation of dissolution (saṃhāra) of pāśa (bondage).