Shloka 21

अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य — काशी-वाराणसी में मोक्ष, लिङ्ग-तीर्थ-मानचित्र, और उपासना-विधि

Devanagari script

पारावतध्वनिविकूजितचारुशृङ्गैर् अभ्रङ्कषैः सितमनोहरचारुरूपैः आकीर्णपुष्पनिकरप्रविभक्तहंसैर् विभ्राजितं त्रिदशदिव्यकुलैरनेकैः

Transliteration

pārāvatadhvanivikūjitacāruśṛṅgair abhraṅkaṣaiḥ sitamanoharacārurūpaiḥ ākīrṇapuṣpanikarapravibhaktahaṃsair vibhrājitaṃ tridaśadivyakulairanekaiḥ

Translation

It shone resplendently—its lovely peaks echoed with the cooing of doves, cloud-kissing and radiant with an enchanting whiteness. It was strewn with heaps of blossoms where swans moved in distinct flocks, and further adorned by many divine lineages of the thirty-three gods. In such a sanctified realm, Pati (Śiva) is intuited as the all-pervading Lord who draws the paśu toward liberation by the very purity and order of His abode.

Word by Word

• पारावत (pārāvata): dove/pigeon

• ध्वनि (dhvani): sound

• विकूजित (vikūjita): cooing/warbling

• चारु (cāru): beautiful

• शृङ्ग (śṛṅga): peak/summit

• अभ्रङ्कष (abhraṅkaṣa): cloud-touching/sky-reaching

• सित (sita): white/bright

• मनोहर (manohara): enchanting

• चारुरूप (cārurūpa): lovely form/appearance

• आकीर्ण (ākīrṇa): filled/strewn

• पुष्प (puṣpa): flower

• निकर (nikara): heap/mass

• प्रविभक्त (pravibhakta): divided/arranged distinctly

• हंस (haṃsa): swan

• विभ्राजित (vibhrājita): brilliantly adorned/illuminated

• त्रिदश (tridaśa): the thirty-three gods (devas)

• दिव्य (divya): divine

• कुल (kula): family/lineage/host

• अनेक (aneka): many

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya; internal scene-description inferred)

Characters & Entities

• Devas (Tridasha)
• Hamsas (swans)

FAQs

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

The verse frames the Shiva-dhāma as intrinsically pure, luminous, and ordered—an outer analogue of the inner sanctum where the Liṅga is installed. It supports the Shaiva view that proper place (kṣetra), purity (śuddhi), and divine presence align the pashu toward the Pati through worship.

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

Though descriptive, it implies Shiva-tattva as the all-illuminating ground that even devas adorn and attend. The realm’s radiance and harmony indicate the Lord’s śakti manifesting as beauty and auspicious order, drawing bound souls (pashus) beyond pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It indirectly highlights kṣetra-śuddhi and dhyāna: preparing a sanctified environment (outer or inner) for Liṅga-pūjā and meditating on Shiva’s abode as a support for Pāśupata-oriented concentration and release from bondage.