Shloka 22

सूर्यरथ-रचना, ध्रुव-प्रेरणा, मास-गणाः च

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

मधुश् च माधवश्चैव शुक्रश् च शुचिरेव च नभोनभस्यौ विप्रेन्द्रा इषश्चोर्जस्तथैव च

Transliteration

madhuś ca mādhavaścaiva śukraś ca śucireva ca nabhonabhasyau viprendrā iṣaścorjastathaiva ca

Translation

O best of Brahmins, the consecrated months are named Madhu and Mādhava; likewise Śukra and Śuci; also Nabha and Nabhasya; and in the same way Iṣa and Ūrjas—thus the cycle of hallowed time is enumerated.

Word by Word

• मधु (Madhu): the month Madhu (Caitra, spring)

• माधव (Mādhava): the month Mādhava (Vaiśākha)

• शुक्र (Śukra): the month Śukra (Jyeṣṭha)

• शुचि (Śuci): the month Śuci (Āṣāḍha)

• नभ (Nabha): the month Nabha (Śrāvaṇa)

• नभस्य (Nabhasya): the month Nabhasya (Bhādrapada)

• विप्रेन्द्र (viprendrāḥ): O best of Brahmins / O foremost among sages

• इष (Iṣa): the month Iṣa (Āśvina)

• ऊर्जस् (Ūrjas): the month Ūrjas (Kārttika)

• च/एव/तथा: and/indeed/likewise

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 sanctifies the calendar by listing the traditional month-names, implying that Shiva-puja, vratas, and Linga-installation rites become most fruitful when performed with awareness of kāla (sacred time), a key support for disciplined devotion.

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

By framing time itself as a sacred, ordered principle, the verse points to Shiva as Pati—the lord who transcends yet governs kāla; the pashu (bound soul) moves through months under pasha (limitations), and worship aligns the soul to the lordship that liberates.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Time-aligned vrata and puja-niyama: observing monthly disciplines (fasts, offerings, japa, and purity rules) as a Pāśupata-style regimen that steadies the mind and supports Shiva-bhakti.