Shloka 40

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

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

द्वादशैव स्तवैर्भानुं स्तुवन्ति च यथाक्रमम् नागाश्चाश्वतरान्तास्तु वासुकिप्रमुखाः शुभाः

Transliteration

dvādaśaiva stavairbhānuṃ stuvanti ca yathākramam nāgāścāśvatarāntāstu vāsukipramukhāḥ śubhāḥ

Translation

In due sequence they praise Bhānu (the Sun) with twelve hymns; and the auspicious Nāgas—beginning with Vāsuki and ending with Aśvatara—also offer him their ordered adoration.

Word by Word

• द्वादश (dvādaśa): twelve

• एव (eva): indeed/only

• स्तवैः (stavaiḥ): with hymns/praises

• भानुम् (bhānum): Bhānu, the Sun

• स्तुवन्ति (stuvanti): they praise

• च (ca): and

• यथाक्रमम् (yathākramam): in proper order/sequence

• नागाः (nāgāḥ): serpent-deities (Nāgas)

• च (ca): and

• अश्वतरान्ताः (aśvatarāntāḥ): ending with Aśvatara

• तु (tu): indeed

• वासुकिप्रमुखाः (vāsuki-pramukhāḥ): headed by Vāsuki

• शुभाः (śubhāḥ): auspicious/beneficent

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Bhanu (Surya)
• Nagas
• Vasuki
• Ashvatara

FAQs

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

It highlights krama (proper sequence) in praise and ritual—an essential principle in Shaiva puja where disciplined stuti purifies the pashu (soul) of pasha (bondage) and orients devotion toward Pati (the Lord), even when honoring cosmic powers like Surya.

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

By portraying the cosmos as ordered praise (yathākramam), it implies a Shaiva view of governance: all luminous powers and their attendants function within a higher sacred order ultimately grounded in the supreme Lord (Pati), whom the Linga signifies as the transcendent support of all deities.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Regulated stotra-japa and sequential worship (krama-vidhi): disciplined recitation and ordered praise, a devotional discipline aligned with Shaiva sadhana that steadies the mind and supports purity for higher practice.