Shloka 24
सृष्टिविस्तारप्रश्नः (Sṛṣṭi-vistāra-praśnaḥ) — The Detailed Inquiry into Creation
अयो धुवश्च सोमश्च धरश्चैवानिलोऽनलः । प्रत्यूषश्च प्रभासश्च वसवाऽष्टा च नामतः
ayo dhuvaśca somaśca dharaścaivānilo'nalaḥ | pratyūṣaśca prabhāsaśca vasavā'ṣṭā ca nāmataḥ
They are known by name as the Eight Vasus: Ayo, Dhruva, Soma, Dhara, Anila, Anala, Pratyūṣa, and Prabhāsa.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Purana to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; provides the canonical onomastic list of the aṣṭa-vasavaḥ (eight elemental/cosmic deities) within the created hierarchy.
FAQs
It preserves the sacred enumeration of the Eight Vasus—cosmic powers that uphold the divine order—reminding the devotee that all elemental forces ultimately function under the sovereignty of Pati (Lord Shiva).
In Saguna Shiva worship, the Linga is revered as the axis of the cosmos; listing deities like the Vasus affirms that such gods and elements are subordinate manifestations within Shiva’s cosmic governance, supporting Linga-centered devotion.
Use nāma-smaraṇa (recollection of divine names) as an aid to concentration: recite the names of the Vasus and then mentally offer them into the Shiva-linga through the Panchakshara mantra—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as a brief dhyāna.