Shloka 28

Devanagari script

विस्तारान्मण्डलाच्चैव पुष्करस्य समेन तु एवं द्वीपाः समुद्रैस्तु सप्तसप्तभिर् आवृताः

Transliteration

vistārānmaṇḍalāccaiva puṣkarasya samena tu evaṃ dvīpāḥ samudraistu saptasaptabhir āvṛtāḥ

Translation

So sind diese Kontinente (Dvīpas) in Ausdehnung und kreisförmiger Gestalt—Puṣkara gleich—der rechten Ordnung nach von Ozeanen umschlossen; jede Reihe ist von sieben Meeren umgeben. In diesem geordneten Kosmos setzt der Herr (Pati) Maß und Grenze, während die gebundenen Seelen (paśu) in den von der Fessel (pāśa) geprägten Erfahrungsfeldern umherwandern.

Word by Word

• विस्तारात्: in expanse/extent

• मण्डलात्: in circular form/region

• च एव: and indeed

• पुष्करस्य: of Puṣkara (the Puṣkara-dvīpa)

• समेन: as equal/comparable

• तु: indeed/then

• एवम्: thus

• द्वीपाः: continents/islands (dvīpas)

• समुद्रैः: by oceans

• तु: and/indeed

• सप्तसप्तभिः: by seven and seven (sevenfold sets)

• आवृताः: surrounded/encircled

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Dvīpas
• Samudras

FAQs

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

By describing the cosmos as precisely measured and encircled, the verse supports the Shaiva view that worship of the Linga aligns the paśu (individual soul) with Pati’s ordering power, helping one move beyond worldly boundaries (pāśa) toward liberation.

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

Implicitly, it points to Shiva-tattva as the supreme regulator (Pati) who sets limits, measures, and cosmic structure—within which embodied experience occurs—while remaining the transcendent ground beyond all dvīpas and oceans.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No direct ritual is stated; the takeaway is contemplative (dhyāna): reflect on cosmic order and limitation as pāśa, and apply Pāśupata-oriented detachment and Shiva-bhakti to transcend the mapped realms of experience.