Shloka 34

भुवनकोशस्वभाववर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-पर्वत-लोकविन्यासः तथा यक्ष-उमा-प्रकाशः

Devanagari script

तावांश् च विस्तरस्तस्य लोकालोकमहागिरेः अर्वाचीने तु तस्यार्धे चरन्ति रविरश्मयः

Transliteration

tāvāṃś ca vistarastasya lokālokamahāgireḥ arvācīne tu tasyārdhe caranti raviraśmayaḥ

Translation

So groß ist die weite Ausdehnung des gewaltigen Lokāloka-Berges. In seiner näheren Hälfte bewegen und kreisen die Strahlen der Sonne und bezeichnen die Grenze, innerhalb derer die geordneten Welten erleuchtet werden; jenseits davon liegt das Gebiet unmanifesten Dunkels.

Word by Word

• तावांश् (tāvāṁś): so great

• च (ca): and

• विस्तरः (vistaraḥ): expanse/extent

• तस्य (tasya): of that

• लोकालोक-महा-गिरेः (lokāloka-mahā-gireḥ): of the great mountain Lokāloka (the boundary of light and darkness)

• अर्वाचीने (arvācīne): on the nearer/this-side region

• तु (tu): indeed

• तस्य (tasya): of it

• अर्धे (ardhe): in the half

• चरन्ति (caranti): move/circulate

• रवि-रश्मयः (ravi-raśmayaḥ): the Sun’s rays

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Surya
• Lokāloka Mountain

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos as a graded revelation of light and order; in Linga worship, the Linga is contemplated as Pati (Shiva) who illumines the pashu’s awareness within the bounds of manifestation, leading the seeker beyond darkness (avidyā).

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

By implying a limit where sunlight reaches and where it does not, the verse points to the distinction between manifest illumination and the unmanifest; Shiva-tattva is the transcendent Light that is not confined to the Sun’s rays and alone dissolves pasha (bondage) of darkness/ignorance.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It supports contemplative Pashupata Yoga: meditating on the inner ‘rays’ of consciousness and tracing them back to Pati (Shiva) beyond the lokāloka boundary—moving from sensory illumination to spiritual illumination.