Shloka 1

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे षष्टितमो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच क्षेत्राण्येतानि सर्वाणि आतपन्ति गभस्तिभिः तेषां क्षेत्राण्यथादत्ते सूर्यो नक्षत्रतारकाः

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge ṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca kṣetrāṇyetāni sarvāṇi ātapanti gabhastibhiḥ teṣāṃ kṣetrāṇyathādatte sūryo nakṣatratārakāḥ

Translation

Sūta sprach: All diese Kṣetras (heiligen Stätten) werden von den Strahlen der Sonne erwärmt und erleuchtet; und für eben diese Bereiche teilt die Sonne — zusammen mit den Nakṣatras und den Sternen — das gebührende Maß von Zeit und Ordnung zu. So dienen selbst die Himmelslichter der Heiligkeit und dem Rhythmus der Kṣetras, wo Pati (Śiva) verehrt wird, um den Paśu vom Pāśa zu lösen.

Word by Word

• इति: thus

• श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे: in the Śrī Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa

• पूर्वभागे: in the Pūrva-bhāga (first part)

• षष्टितमः अध्यायः: the sixty-first chapter

• सूत उवाच: Sūta said

• क्षेत्राणि: sacred places/fields (kṣetras)

• एतानि: these

• सर्वाणि: all

• आतपन्ति: they heat/warm/shine upon

• गभस्तिभिः: with rays (of light)

• तेषाम्: of those

• क्षेत्राणि: regions/kṣetras

• अथ: then/thereupon/as for

• आदत्ते: assigns/apportions/takes up (as regulation)

• सूर्यः: the Sun

• नक्षत्रतारकाः: the nakṣatras (lunar mansions) and stars

Speaker

Suta

Characters & Entities

• Surya
• Nakshatras
• Tarakas

FAQs

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

It frames sacred kṣetras as cosmically supported zones for worship: even the Sun and stellar cycles uphold the order of time and illumination that makes disciplined Liṅga-pūjā effective for dharma and inner purification.

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

Indirectly, it shows Śiva as Pati—the transcendent Lord for whose worship the cosmic instruments (Sun, nakṣatras, stars) function as regulators; the universe becomes an assisting framework for the paśu’s movement from pāśa toward liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implies time-and-place discipline (deśa-kāla-niyama): choosing a consecrated kṣetra and aligning worship with solar/stellar rhythms—supportive of Pāśupata-oriented sādhana and regular Liṅga-pūjā.