Shloka 12

शिवार्चनविधिः — देवतानां पाशुपतव्रतप्राप्तिः तथा पशुपाशविमोक्षणम् (अध्याय ८०)

Devanagari script

ततो ऽथ नारिगजवाजिसंकुलं रथैर् अनेकैर् अमरारिसूदनः गणैर्गणेशैश् च गिरीन्द्रसंनिभं महापुरद्वारमजो हरिश् च

Transliteration

tato 'tha nārigajavājisaṃkulaṃ rathair anekair amarārisūdanaḥ gaṇairgaṇeśaiś ca girīndrasaṃnibhaṃ mahāpuradvāramajo hariś ca

Translation

Then the Slayer of the foes of the gods advanced with many chariots, thronged with women, elephants, and horses; and Hari too—Aja, the Unborn as the supreme principle—came with hosts of gaṇas and their lords, reaching the great city-gate, towering like the king of mountains.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• atha: thereafter

• nāri: women

• gaja: elephants

• vāji: horses

• saṅkulam: crowded/thronged

• rathaiḥ: with chariots

• anekaiḥ: many

• amarāri-sūdanaḥ: slayer of the enemies of the gods (a heroic epithet used here for the divine leader)

• gaṇaiḥ: with the gaṇa-hosts

• gaṇeśaiḥ: with the lords of gaṇas/chieftains

• ca: and

• girīndra-saṃnibham: resembling the lord of mountains (Himālaya/Meru), mountain-like

• mahā-pura-dvāram: the great city-gate

• ajaḥ: unborn

• hariḥ: Hari (Viṣṇu)

• ca: also/and

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Ganas
• Ganeshas (gaṇa-lords)

FAQs

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

It frames the approach to a sacred threshold (the “great city-gate”) with a vast divine retinue, mirroring how devotees approach the Linga: moving from the outer, crowded world toward the inner sanctum where Pati (the Lord) is realized.

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

By emphasizing an overwhelming, mountain-like presence and the command of gaṇas, it gestures to Shiva-tattva as Pati—sovereign, unshakable, and transcendent—before whom even cosmic powers and their hosts assemble.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implicitly highlights the discipline of approaching a holy locus in ordered procession—an outer analogue of Pāśupata practice: withdrawing from distraction (saṅkula) and moving inward toward the Lord through reverent, regulated approach.