Shloka 44

Adhyaya 52: सोमाधारः, पुण्योदानदी, मेरुप्रदक्षिणा, जम्बूद्वीपनववर्षवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

एवं मया समाख्याता नववर्षानुवर्तिनः वर्णायुर्भोजनाद्यानि संक्षिप्य न तु विस्तरात्

Transliteration

evaṃ mayā samākhyātā navavarṣānuvartinaḥ varṇāyurbhojanādyāni saṃkṣipya na tu vistarāt

Translation

Thus have I explained—briefly and not in elaborate detail—the matters that follow the nine Varṣas: their social orders (varṇa), spans of life, modes of sustenance and food, and related customs. In all of these, the wise should discern the governance of Pati (Śiva), while the bound soul (paśu) moves within its allotted conditions under the force of pāśa.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus

• मया: by me

• समाख्याता: have been explained/told

• नववर्षानुवर्तिनः: those pertaining to/consistent with the nine Varṣas

• वर्ण: social order/class

• आयुः: lifespan

• भोजन: food/sustenance

• आद्यानि: and other related matters

• संक्षिप्य: in brief/condensed form

• न: not

• तु: indeed/but

• विस्तरात्: in detail/at length

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It closes a cosmological description by reminding the listener that social order, lifespan, and sustenance are contingent conditions; Linga-worship reorients the paśu toward Pati (Śiva), the true regulator beyond these worldly divisions.

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

By implication, Śiva is Pati—the sovereign principle who presides over the differentiated worlds and their rules—while the paśu experiences those rules under pāśa until liberated through right knowledge and devotion.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No single rite is prescribed in this line; the takeaway is preparatory: having learned the world-structure, one should turn to Śiva-upāsanā (especially Linga-pūjā) and Pāśupata-oriented discipline to transcend bondage-bound conditions.