Shloka 22

शिवार्चनविधिः — देवतानां पाशुपतव्रतप्राप्तिः तथा पशुपाशविमोक्षणम् (अध्याय ८०)

Devanagari script

अष्टमं नवमं चैव दशमं च पुरोत्तमम् अतीत्यासाद्य देवस्य पुरं शंभोः सुशोभनम्

Transliteration

aṣṭamaṃ navamaṃ caiva daśamaṃ ca purottamam atītyāsādya devasya puraṃ śaṃbhoḥ suśobhanam

Translation

Nachdem sie die achte, die neunte und auch die zehnte—jene vortrefflichen Zitadellen—überschritten hatten, gelangten sie schließlich zur herrlichen Stadt des Gottes, der strahlenden Wohnstatt Śambhus (Śivas).

Word by Word

• अष्टमम्: the eighth (city/realm/fort)

• नवमम्: the ninth

• च एव: and indeed

• दशमम्: the tenth

• च: and

• पुरोत्तमम्: the most excellent among cities/fortresses

• अतीत्य: having passed beyond, transcending

• आसाद्य: having reached, arriving at

• देवस्य: of the God (the Lord)

• पुरम्: city, divine abode

• शंभोः: of Śambhu (Śiva as Pati)

• सुशोभनम्: very beautiful, splendid

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the final refuge (Pati) beyond successive realms, implying that Linga-upāsanā is not merely for worldly attainments but for transcending levels of existence to reach Śiva’s own dhāma.

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

Śambhu is presented as the supreme divine center—his city is reached only after ‘passing beyond’ prior stations—signaling Shiva-tattva as transcendent, the terminus beyond graded worlds and limitations (pāśa).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implies a Pāśupata-oriented ascent: disciplined transcendence of lower states through devotion, purification, and meditative progression culminating in orientation to Śiva (Pati) as the highest goal.