Shloka 3

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

Devanagari script

रथाङ्गं दक्षिणं सूर्यो वामाङ्गं सोम एव च दक्षिणं द्वादशारं हि षोडशारं तथोत्तरम्

Transliteration

rathāṅgaṃ dakṣiṇaṃ sūryo vāmāṅgaṃ soma eva ca dakṣiṇaṃ dvādaśāraṃ hi ṣoḍaśāraṃ tathottaram

Translation

In diesem kosmischen Rad ist die Sonne die rechte Seite und der Mond wahrlich die linke. Der rechte Teil soll zwölf Speichen haben, und ebenso hat der nördliche Teil sechzehn Speichen.

Word by Word

• रथाङ्गम्: wheel of the chariot/cosmic wheel

• दक्षिणम्: right side/southern portion

• सूर्यः: the Sun

• वामाङ्गम्: left side

• सोमः: the Moon

• एव च: indeed and

• द्वादश-अरम्: twelve-spoked

• हि: verily/indeed

• षोडश-अरम्: sixteen-spoked

• तथा: likewise

• उत्तरम्: northern portion/upper side

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Surya
• Soma

FAQs

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

It frames time (kāla) as a structured cosmic wheel governed by Sun and Moon—reminding the worshipper that the Linga signifies Pati (Śiva) who transcends the wheel of time while regulating it for creation and ritual order.

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

By mapping cosmic order into a wheel of measured spokes, the verse implies that while kāla is articulated through Surya and Soma, Śiva-tattva remains the sovereign ground (Pati) in which these measures arise—unbound by pāśa yet enabling the world’s rhythm.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It points to sādhana aligned with solar–lunar discipline—steadying prāṇa and mind through regulated daily worship (nitya-pūjā) and time-observances (vrata), a supportive framework for Pāśupata-oriented inner restraint over kāla-driven fluctuations.