Shloka 11

शिवार्चनविधिः — देवतानां पाशुपतव्रतप्राप्तिः तथा पशुपाशविमोक्षणम् (अध्याय ८०)

Devanagari script

सहस्रसूर्यप्रतिमं महान्तं सहस्रशः सर्वगुणैश् च भिन्नम् जगाम कैलासगिरिं महात्मा मेरुप्रभागे पुरमादिदेवः

Transliteration

sahasrasūryapratimaṃ mahāntaṃ sahasraśaḥ sarvaguṇaiś ca bhinnam jagāma kailāsagiriṃ mahātmā meruprabhāge puramādidevaḥ

Translation

Der uranfängliche Deva, groß an Seele, begab sich zum Berg Kailāsa, zu jener weiten Stadt, die am Hang des Meru erstrahlt, leuchtend wie tausend Sonnen und in unzähligen Weisen durch jede Vollkommenheit ausgezeichnet—das śivadhāma, die höchste Sphäre des Heils, jenseits weltlicher Maße.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-सूर्य-प्रतिमम्: like a thousand suns

• महान्तम्: vast, great

• सहस्रशः: in thousands, innumerably

• सर्व-गुणैः: by all virtues/excellences

• च: and

• भिन्नम्: distinguished, marked by

• जगाम: went

• कैलास-गिरिम्: to Mount Kailāsa

• महात्मा: the great-souled one

• मेरु-प्रभागे: on the slope/region of Meru

• पुरम्: city

• आदि-देवः: the primordial god (Śiva).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kailasa
• Meru

FAQs

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

It frames Śiva as Ādideva and locates his presence in the supreme, radiant realm (Kailāsa/Śiva-dhāma). In Linga worship, this supports the idea that the Linga is a portable axis of that same transcendental abode—inviting the devotee to shift from worldly (pāśa-bound) perception to Pati-centered contemplation.

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

Śiva is portrayed as the primordial, great-souled Lord whose splendor is beyond ordinary comparison—“like a thousand suns.” The ‘countless excellences’ indicate fullness (pūrṇatva): Śiva-tattva as the supreme Pati, distinct from the limited qualities of the bound pashu, yet graciously accessible through devotion and right vision.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative practice (dhyāna) is implied: visualizing Kailāsa/Śiva-dhāma and meditating on Śiva’s solar-like radiance. In Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā, such dhyāna supports loosening pāśa (bondage) by fixing the mind on Pati rather than on transient guṇas.