Shloka 14

Adhyaya 75: Nishkala–Sakala Shiva, Twofold Linga, and the Supremacy of Dhyana-Yajna

Devanagari script

जपयज्ञसहस्रेभ्यो ध्यानयज्ञो विशिष्यते ध्यानयज्ञात्परो नास्ति ध्यानं ज्ञानस्य साधनम्

Transliteration

japayajñasahasrebhyo dhyānayajño viśiṣyate dhyānayajñātparo nāsti dhyānaṃ jñānasya sādhanam

Translation

千种持诵之祭（japa-yajña）不及禅观之祭（dhyāna-yajña）更胜。禅观之祭无有更上者；因为禅定是通向解脱之智的直接方便——于彼，被缚之灵（paśu）认知超越一切系缚（pāśa）的主宰（Pati）。

Word by Word

• जपयज्ञसहस्रेभ्यः: than thousands of japa-sacrifices (mantra-recitation rites)

• ध्यानयज्ञः: the sacrifice of meditation

• विशिष्यते: excels/is superior

• ध्यानयज्ञात्: than the meditative sacrifice

• परः: higher

• नास्ति: does not exist

• ध्यानम्: meditation

• ज्ञानस्य: of (true) knowledge

• साधनम्: means/instrument

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It prioritizes inner worship (dhyāna) over external counts of japa, teaching that true Linga-upāsanā culminates in meditative absorption where Shiva is realized as Pati within the heart.

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

By presenting meditation as the gateway to jñāna, it implies Shiva-tattva as the ultimate reality known through direct inner realization, freeing the paśu from pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhyāna-yajña—meditation as a sacrificial discipline—aligned with Pāśupata-oriented practice where concentration and contemplation ripen into liberating knowledge.