Shloka 4

देवदारुवनौकसां प्रति ब्रह्मोपदेशः—लिङ्गलक्षण-प्रतिष्ठा-विधिः, शिवमायारूपदर्शनं, स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

देवानां च ऋषीनां च पितॄणां चैव स प्रभुः सहस्रयुगपर्यन्ते प्रलये सर्वदेहिनः

Transliteration

devānāṃ ca ṛṣīnāṃ ca pitṝṇāṃ caiva sa prabhuḥ sahasrayugaparyante pralaye sarvadehinaḥ

Translation

唯有彼一者为诸天、诸仙圣（Ṛṣi）与祖灵（Pitṛ）的主宰（Pati）；至千劫终末之大毁灭（pralaya）时，亦由彼统摄一切具身众生之归趣。

Word by Word

• देवानाम्: of the gods (Devas)

• च: and

• ऋषीनाम्: of the seers (Rishis)

• च: and

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors (Pitrs)

• च एव: and indeed

• स: He

• प्रभुः: Lord, Master (Pati)

• सहस्र-युग-पर्यन्ते: at the completion/end-limit of a thousand yugas

• प्रलये: in dissolution (Pralaya)

• सर्व-देहिनः: all embodied beings (all pashus in bodies)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Rishis
• Pitrs

FAQs

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

It establishes Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord over all divine and ancestral orders—so Linga worship is directed to the ultimate sovereign who transcends and governs even cosmic dissolution.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as the ruling principle over all hierarchies (Devas, Rishis, Pitrs) and as the one whose authority remains at Pralaya, implying transcendence over time-cycles and embodied limitation (pashu-bhava).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points toward Pashupata-style vairagya (dispassion): remembering Pralaya and the impermanence of bodies strengthens surrender (śaraṇāgati) to Pati through Linga-upāsanā and inner steadiness.