Shloka 23

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

शैलेन्द्रः कार्मुकं चैव ज्या भुजङ्गाधिपः स्वयम् कालरात्र्या तथैवेह तथेन्द्रधनुषा पुनः

Transliteration

śailendraḥ kārmukaṃ caiva jyā bhujaṅgādhipaḥ svayam kālarātryā tathaiveha tathendradhanuṣā punaḥ

Translation

Hier ist Śailendra wahrlich der Bogen; die Bogensehne ist der Herr der Schlangen selbst. Ebenso ist Kālarātrī hier gegenwärtig, und wiederum ist Indras Regenbogen der Bogen. So wird durch diese göttlichen Personifikationen die Macht des Herrn erkannt: Selbst Waffen und die Kräfte der Zeit werden zu Werkzeugen in den Händen von Pati, dem höchsten Śiva.

Word by Word

• शैलेन्द्रः: Śailendra (lord of mountains, the mountain-king)

• कार्मुकम्: bow

• च एव: and indeed

• ज्या: bowstring

• भुजङ्गाधिपः: lord of serpents (Nāga-king, e.g., Vāsuki/Śeṣa)

• स्वयम्: himself

• कालरात्र्या: by/with Kālarātrī (the dark night of Time, destructive power)

• तथा एव इह: just so, here

• तथा इन्द्रधनुषा: likewise by/with Indra’s rainbow (indra-dhanuṣ)

• पुनः: again/further

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purva-Bhaga to the sages; verse embedded in a descriptive-stuti of divine forces/ayudhas)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Śailendra
• Bhujangādhipa (Nāga-king)
• Kālarātrī
• Indra

FAQs

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

It trains the devotee to perceive all cosmic powers—mountain, serpent-force, Time (Kālarātrī), and the rainbow of Indra—as subordinate manifestations serving Pati (Shiva). This supports Linga-puja as worship of the One who holds and transcends all forces.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the sovereign principle in which even destructive Time-power (Kālarātrī) and protective or celestial forces (Indra’s rainbow) become functional expressions—showing Pati as the controller of pasha-like forces that bind or liberate pashus.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative stuti (bhāvanā) aligned with Pāśupata insight: during japa or Linga-dhyāna, the sādhaka internalizes that all energies and instruments are Shiva’s—reducing pasha (bondage) by dissolving the sense of separate agency.