Shloka 56

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

Devanagari script

रराज मध्ये भगवान्सुराणां विवाहनो वारिजपत्रवर्णः यथा सुमेरोः शिखराधिरूढः सहस्ररश्मिर् भगवान् सुतीक्ष्णः

Transliteration

rarāja madhye bhagavānsurāṇāṃ vivāhano vārijapatravarṇaḥ yathā sumeroḥ śikharādhirūḍhaḥ sahasraraśmir bhagavān sutīkṣṇaḥ

Translation

Inmitten der Götter erstrahlte der Bhagavān—sein Glanz wie der Farbton eines Lotusblattes—wie die tausendstrahlige Sonne auf dem Gipfel des Berges Sumeru, überaus leuchtend und göttlich.

Word by Word

• रराज: shone brilliantly

• मध्ये: in the midst

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord (Pati, the divine one)

• सुराणाम्: of the gods

• विवाहनः: the radiant one who bears/manifestly carries splendor (one who moves as a luminous presence)

• वारिजपत्रवर्णः: lotus-petal-hued, lotus-leaf/petal colored

• यथा: just as

• सुमेरोः: of Mount Sumeru

• शिखर-अधिरूढः: mounted upon the peak/summit

• सहस्र-रश्मिः: thousand-rayed (sun-like)

• भगवान्: the Blessed One

• सुतीक्ष्णः: exceedingly sharp, intensely bright, piercing in brilliance

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Sumeru
• Surya (implied by 'thousand-rayed')

FAQs

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

It establishes the core puja-bhāva that the Linga signifies Pati as pure tejas—surpassing even the Devas—so worship centers on inward contemplation of Shiva’s luminous presence rather than merely external form.

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

Shiva-tattva is indicated as intensely radiant and sovereign (bhagavān), the central light amid all celestial powers—like a thousand-rayed sun—implying the consciousness that illumines all beings (pashus) and dissolves their pasha (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A dhyāna-oriented practice is implied: meditating on Shiva as sahasra-raśmi tejas (all-illumining light), a Pāśupata-aligned inner worship that steadies the mind on the Pati who stands above the hosts of gods.