Shloka 30

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

उद्धृत्य पृथिवीछायां निर्मितां मण्डलाकृतिम् स्वर्भानोस्तु बृहत्स्थानं तृतीयं यत्तमोमयम्

Transliteration

uddhṛtya pṛthivīchāyāṃ nirmitāṃ maṇḍalākṛtim svarbhānostu bṛhatsthānaṃ tṛtīyaṃ yattamomayam

Translation

إذ يُستخرج ظلُّ الأرض مُصاغًا على هيئة قرصٍ دائريّ، يُقال إن هناك يقوم مُلكُ سْوَرْبْهانو الواسع: الإقليمُ الثالث، المؤلَّفُ من الظلمة.

Word by Word

• उद्धृत्य: having drawn forth/raised

• पृथिवी-छायाम्: the Earth’s shadow

• निर्मिताम्: fashioned/constructed

• मण्डल-आकृतिम्: having the shape of a circle/disc

• स्वर्भानोः: of Svarbhānu

• तु: indeed/and

• बृहत्-स्थानम्: the great/expansive region

• तृतीयम्: the third

• यत्: which

• तमो-मयम्: made of darkness/consisting of tamas

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating cosmological doctrine to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Svarbhanu

FAQs

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

By mapping a “region of darkness” (tamomaya) within creation, the verse implicitly points to why Shiva as Pati is worshipped through the Linga: to transcend tamas (obscuration) and move the pashu (soul) toward clarity and liberation.

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

Shiva-tattva is suggested by contrast: even the vast tamasic domain (Svarbhānu’s region) is a created order within the cosmos, whereas Shiva as Pati is the transcendent ground beyond the guṇas (including tamas) who enables the soul to overcome obscuration.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No direct puja-vidhi is stated, but the teaching supports Pāśupata-oriented practice: reducing tamas through discipline, purity, mantra-japa, and Shiva-Linga upāsanā aimed at loosening pāśa (bondage) caused by ignorance.