śrī-śukaḥ uvāca - Śrī Śuka said; śivaḥ - Lord Śiva; śakti - with his energy, material nature; yataḥ - united; śaśvat - always; tri - three; liṅgaḥ - whose manifest features; guṇa - by the modes; saṁvṛtaḥ - prayed to; vaikārikaḥ - false ego in the mode of goodness; taijasaḥ - false ego in the mode of passion; ca - and; tāmasaḥ - false ego in mode of ignorance; ca - and; iti - thus; aham - the principle of material ego; tridhā - threefold.

Śrī Śukadeva said: Lord Śiva is always united with his personal energy, the material nature. Manifesting himself in three features in response to the entreaties of nature’s three modes, he thus embodies the threefold principle of material ego in goodness, passion and ignorance.