Shloka 23

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

आप्यं श्यामं मनोज्ञं च बुधरश्मिगृहं स्मृतम् शुक्लस्याप्यम्मयं शुक्लं पदं षोडशरश्मिवत्

Transliteration

āpyaṃ śyāmaṃ manojñaṃ ca budharaśmigṛhaṃ smṛtam śuklasyāpyammayaṃ śuklaṃ padaṃ ṣoḍaśaraśmivat

Translation

Der wässrige Bereich (āpya), dunkel getönt und anmutig, wird als die aus den Strahlen Budhas (Merkurs) gebildete Wohnstatt bezeichnet. Und die Station des „Weißen“ ist gleichfalls wässrigen Wesens: eine helle, weiße Ebene, strahlend mit sechzehn Strahlen.

Word by Word

• āpyaṃ: watery, born of the water-element

• śyāmaṃ: dark/blue-black in hue

• manojñam: delightful, pleasing to the mind

• ca: and

• budha-raśmi-gṛham: the dwelling/abode constituted of Mercury’s rays

• smṛtam: is remembered/declared (in tradition)

• śuklasya: of the White One (Śukla—here, the bright lunar/white principle)

• api: also/likewise

• ap-mayam: made of water, water-constituted

• śuklam: white, luminous

• padam: station, plane, realm

• ṣoḍaśa-raśmi-vat: possessing sixteen rays (i.e., sixteen-fold radiance).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Purana cosmology to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Budha (Mercury)
• Śukla (the bright/white principle, commonly aligned with the Moon’s luminous aspect)

FAQs

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

It links cosmic realms to elemental qualities (water, color, radiance), supporting Linga-upāsanā as contemplation of Shiva (Pati) pervading all planes—outer cosmos and inner body—through ordered tattvas.

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

By describing worlds as constituted of rays and elemental essence, it implies a Shaiva view where all differentiated lights and abodes are effects within māyā, while Shiva-tattva remains the sovereign ground (Pati) beyond these ray-formed manifestations.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative practice (dhyāna) of loka–graha correspondences: meditating on elemental essence (āp-tattva) and radiance (raśmi) as a support to withdraw the pashu (soul) from pasha (bondage) toward Pati (Shiva).