Shloka 53

प्रसाद-ज्ञान-योग-मोक्षक्रमः तथा व्यास-रुद्रावतार-मन्वन्तर-परम्परा

Devanagari script

विमला ब्रह्मभूयिष्ठा ज्ञानयोगपरायणाः एते पाशुपताः सिद्धा भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहाः

Transliteration

vimalā brahmabhūyiṣṭhā jñānayogaparāyaṇāḥ ete pāśupatāḥ siddhā bhasmoddhūlitavigrahāḥ

Translation

清净无垢，安住于梵（Brahman），专注于解脱智之瑜伽——此等为已成就的帕修帕塔（Pāśupata），其身披拂圣灰（bhasma）。

Word by Word

• विमलाः: stainless/pure

• ब्रह्मभूयिष्ठाः: abiding in Brahman/most established in Brahman-state

• ज्ञानयोगपरायणाः: wholly devoted to jñāna-yoga (knowledge as the path)

• एते: these

• पाशुपताः: followers of Paśupati (Shiva) / Pāśupata ascetics

• सिद्धाः: perfected/accomplished ones

• भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहाः: having bodies smeared/dusted with bhasma (sacred ash)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents the Pāśupata ideal behind Linga-centered devotion: purity, Brahman-abidance, and jñāna-yoga, outwardly marked by bhasma—an emblem of surrender to Paśupati (Pati) and the burning of pasha (bondage).

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

By calling the Pāśupatas “brahmabhūyishṭha,” it points to Shiva as Paśupati—the supreme Pati whose realization culminates in Brahman-abidance, where the pashu (soul) is purified and freed from pasha through knowledge and yogic steadiness.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Pāśupata discipline rooted in jñāna-yoga is highlighted, along with the Shaiva observance of bhasma-dhāraṇa (smearing sacred ash) as a constant reminder of vairāgya, inner purification, and the destruction of karmic bonds.