Shloka 53

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

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

एलापत्रस् तथा सर्पः शङ्खपालश् च तावुभौ विश्वावसूग्रसेनौ च वरुणश् च रथस्वनः

Transliteration

elāpatras tathā sarpaḥ śaṅkhapālaś ca tāvubhau viśvāvasūgrasenau ca varuṇaś ca rathasvanaḥ

Translation

Likewise are named Elāpatra, Sarpa, and Śaṅkhapāla—those two; and also Viśvāvasu and Agrasena; and Varuṇa; and Rathasvana. These revered beings are enumerated as a sacred catalogue, to be remembered in devotion to Pati, Śiva, who rules over all hosts and orders.

Word by Word

• elāpatraḥ: Elāpatra (a nāga/serpent name)

• tathā: likewise/also

• sarpaḥ: Sarpa (a nāga name

• śaṅkhapālaḥ: Śaṅkhapāla (a nāga name)

• ca: and

• tau-ubhau: those two/both of them

• viśvāvasuḥ: Viśvāvasu (a gandharva name)

• agrasenaḥ: Agrasena (a divine being name)

• ca: and

• varuṇaḥ: Varuṇa (Vedic deity, lord of waters/cosmic order)

• ca: and

• rathasvanaḥ: Rathasvana (a divine being name

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Elapatra
• Sarpa
• Shankhapala
• Vishvavasu
• Agrasena
• Varuna
• Rathasvana
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It functions as an anukīrtana (sacred enumeration): remembering the cosmic beings and orders ultimately reinforces devotion to Śiva as Pati, the Lord of all hosts, which supports focused mind (bhakti-yukta smaraṇa) during liṅga-pūjā.

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

By listing diverse beings—nāgas, gandharvas, and a Vedic deva like Varuṇa—the verse implies Śiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati who encompasses and governs all categories of existence, while the pashu (soul) gains clarity by recollection and reverent orientation toward that supreme order.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Nāma-japa and anukīrtana: reciting and remembering sacred names as a support for concentration and purification—an auxiliary to Pāśupata-oriented worship and meditation centered on the liṅga.