Shloka 12

Adhyaya 50 — देवपुर्यः, पुराणि, आयतनानि च; श्रीकण्ठाधिपत्य-प्रतिपादनम्

Devanagari script

कुमुदे किंनरावासस् त्व् अञ्जने चारणालयः कृष्णे गन्धर्वनिलयः पाण्डुरे पुरसप्तकम्

Transliteration

kumude kiṃnarāvāsas tv añjane cāraṇālayaḥ kṛṣṇe gandharvanilayaḥ pāṇḍure purasaptakam

Translation

In the kumuda-hued region is the dwelling of the Kiṃnaras; in the dark añjana shade is the abode of the Cāraṇas; in the black (kṛṣṇa) is the settlement of the Gandharvas; and in the pale (pāṇḍura) is the cluster of the seven cities. Thus the worlds are apportioned by luminous qualities under the Lord (Pati) who orders all stations of beings.

Word by Word

• कुमुदे: in the kumuda-colored (region)

• किंनर-आवासः: dwelling/place of the Kiṃnaras

• तु: and/indeed

• अञ्जने: in the añjana (collyrium-dark) (region)

• चारण-आलयः: abode of the Cāraṇas

• कृष्णे: in the black (region)

• गन्धर्व-निलयः: residence of the Gandharvas

• पाण्डुरे: in the pale/whitish (region)

• पुर-सप्तकम्: the group of seven cities

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Kiṃnaras
• Cāraṇas
• Gandharvas

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos as an ordered hierarchy of abodes; Linga worship aligns the pashu (individual soul) with the Pati (Shiva) who assigns and transcends all such stations.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the sovereign principle of niyati—governing where beings like Gandharvas, Cāraṇas, and Kiṃnaras reside—while remaining beyond the color-qualities that mark manifested realms.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse is primarily cosmographic; its yogic takeaway is contemplative dispassion (vairāgya): recognizing that even celestial abodes are conditioned realms, prompting the seeker toward Pashupata-oriented devotion to Pati through Linga-upāsanā.