Shloka 52

Adhyaya 4: अहोरात्र-युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पमान तथा प्रलयान्ते सृष्ट्युपक्रमः

Devanagari script

साधर्म्येणावतिष्ठेते प्रधानपुरुषावुभौ गुणानां चैव वैषम्ये विप्राः सृष्टिरिति स्मृता

Transliteration

sādharmyeṇāvatiṣṭhete pradhānapuruṣāvubhau guṇānāṃ caiva vaiṣamye viprāḥ sṛṣṭiriti smṛtā

Translation

当原质普拉达那（Pradhāna，原初自然）与普鲁沙（Puruṣa，觉知原理）同处一相、安住于均衡时，造化不行。然当三德（guṇa）失衡而扰动之际，婆罗门啊，此不均即被忆念为创生之起。

Word by Word

• साधर्म्येण (sādharmyeṇa): by sameness/equilibrium of condition

• अवतिष्ठेते (avatiṣṭhete): they remain established

• प्रधान (pradhāna): primordial material cause, Prakṛti

• पुरुष (puruṣa): conscious principle, witness-self

• उभौ (ubhau): both

• गुणानाम् (guṇānām): of the guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

• च एव (caiva): and indeed

• वैषम्ये (vaiṣamye): in inequality/imbalance

• विप्राः (viprāḥ): O sages/brāhmaṇas

• सृष्टिः (sṛṣṭiḥ): creation/emanation

• इति (iti): thus

• स्मृता (smṛtā): is declared/remembered in tradition

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Pradhana
• Purusha
• Gunas

FAQs

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

It frames creation as arising from guṇa-imbalance, reminding the devotee that the Liṅga signifies Mahādeva as Pati—the Lord who both governs the guṇas in manifestation and transcends them in worship, leading the pashu (soul) beyond guṇa-bound experience.

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

By implication, Shiva-tattva is the supreme regulator and witness beyond Pradhāna–Puruṣa interplay: while prakṛti and puruṣa condition the field of experience, Shiva as Pati is the transcendent ground enabling order, dissolution, and liberation from guṇa-driven bondage (pāśa).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key takeaway is guṇa-transcendence: Pāśupata-oriented sādhana (japa, dhyāna, and Liṅga-pūjā) aims to quiet rajas–tamas disturbance and stabilize awareness, so the pashu is no longer compelled by guṇa-vaiṣamya.