Shloka 20

सोमवर्णनम्

Graha–Ratha–Aśva Varṇana, Dhruva-Nibaddha Gati, Maṇḍala-Pramāṇa, Graha-Arcana

Devanagari script

तेभ्यो ऽधस्तात्तु चत्वारः पुनरन्ये महाग्रहाः सूर्यः सोमो बुधश्चैव भार्गवश्चैव शीघ्रगाः

Transliteration

tebhyo 'dhastāttu catvāraḥ punaranye mahāgrahāḥ sūryaḥ somo budhaścaiva bhārgavaścaiva śīghragāḥ

Translation

Below those are four other great planets that move swiftly: the Sun, the Moon, Budha (Mercury), and Bhārgava (Venus). Their ordered motion sustains the cosmic rhythm within Śiva’s ordinance, whereby bound souls (paśu) experience time and its fruits under the bonds (pāśa).

Word by Word

• tebhyaḥ: from/than those

• adhastāt: below

• tu: indeed

• catvāraḥ: four

• punaḥ: again/further

• anye: other

• mahā-grahāḥ: great ग्रहs/planets

• sūryaḥ: the Sun

• somaḥ: the Moon

• budhaḥ: Mercury

• ca eva: and indeed

• bhārgavaḥ: Bhārgava (Venus, of the lineage of Bhṛgu)

• ca eva: and indeed

• śīghra-gāḥ: swift-moving

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Surya
• Soma
• Budha
• Bhargava (Shukra)
• Shiva

FAQs

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

By listing the swift-moving grahas, the verse places time and karmic rhythm within Śiva’s cosmic administration—reminding the devotee that Linga-pūjā aims at rising beyond time-bound bondage (pāśa) toward the Lord (Pati).

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

Though not naming Śiva directly as the mover, the ordered hierarchy of planetary motion implies a higher regulator: Shiva-tattva as Pati, the transcendent governor of kāla and niyati, within which the paśu undergoes experience.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is contemplative: meditate on kāla (time) as governed by Pati, and use Shiva-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented detachment to loosen graha-linked karmic conditioning rather than being ruled by it.