Shloka 28

भुवनकोशविन्यासनिर्णयः (ज्योतिर्गति-वृष्टिचक्र-वर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

कुलालचक्रनाभिस्तु यथा तत्रैव वर्तते औत्तानपादो भ्रमति ग्रहैः सार्धं ग्रहाग्रणीः

Transliteration

kulālacakranābhistu yathā tatraiva vartate auttānapādo bhramati grahaiḥ sārdhaṃ grahāgraṇīḥ

Translation

Just as the hub of a potter’s wheel remains stationed in its own place, so does Dhruva—son of Uttānapāda, foremost among the luminaries—abide as the fixed pivot, while the planets revolve together around him.

Word by Word

• कुलाल (kulāla): potter

• चक्र (cakra): wheel

• नाभि (nābhi): hub, central pivot

• तु (tu): indeed

• यथा (yathā): just as

• तत्र (tatra): there

• एव (eva): alone, precisely

• वर्तते (vartate): remains, abides

• औत्तानपादः (auttānapādaḥ): Dhruva, the son of Uttānapāda

• भ्रमति (bhramati): revolves, moves in orbit

• ग्रहैः (grahaiḥ): with the planets

• सार्धम् (sārdham): together with

• ग्रहाग्रणीः (grahāgraṇīḥ): leader/foremost among the grahas (luminaries/planets), pre-eminent celestial guide

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Uttanapada
• Grahas

FAQs

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

It presents the sacred model of an unmoving center: as Dhruva stands firm while all else revolves, the Linga signifies Pati (Shiva) as the stable axis of the cosmos, around whom changing phenomena circulate.

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

By the metaphor of the wheel’s hub, it points to the Siddhanta insight that Shiva-tattva is akriya yet sovereign—unshaken, self-established, and the ground of order—while movements of the world proceed in His presence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implies dhāraṇā on the “fixed center” (sthiratā): in Pāśupata-oriented contemplation, the sādhaka steadies the mind on the Linga as the axis, loosening pasha (bondage) that makes the pashu (soul) spin in restless motion.