Shloka 8

Adhyaya 52: सोमाधारः, पुण्योदानदी, मेरुप्रदक्षिणा, जम्बूद्वीपनववर्षवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

क्रीडते सुचिरं कालं तस्मात्पुण्यजला शिवा गिरिं मेरुं नदी पुण्या सा प्रयाति प्रदक्षिणम्

Transliteration

krīḍate suciraṃ kālaṃ tasmātpuṇyajalā śivā giriṃ meruṃ nadī puṇyā sā prayāti pradakṣiṇam

Translation

Durante larguísimo tiempo ella se recrea allí; por eso el río auspicioso llamado Śivā—santo por sus aguas meritorias—prosigue circunvalando el monte Meru en pradakṣiṇa, en giro hacia la derecha.

Word by Word

• क्रीडते: sports, plays

• सुचिरम्: for a very long time

• कालम्: time/period

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that cause

• पुण्य-जला: having holy/meritorious waters

• शिवा: (the river named) Śivā, auspicious

• गिरिम्: mountain

• मेरुम्: Meru

• नदी: river

• पुण्या: sacred, meritorious

• सा: she/that (river)

• प्रयाति: goes, proceeds

• प्रदक्षिणम्: clockwise circumambulation (pradakṣiṇā)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the tirtha-mahatmya to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (as the auspicious principle implied by the river-name Śivā)
• Mount Meru

FAQs

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

It frames pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) as a cosmic archetype: as the sacred river moves in reverent orbit around Meru, the devotee likewise circles the Liṅga, aligning the pashu (soul) toward Pati (Śiva) through ordered, auspicious movement.

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

Śiva-tattva is suggested as auspicious order and sanctifying presence: the river named “Śivā” becomes puṇya-jalā (merit-bearing), indicating that contact with Śiva’s sphere purifies pāśa (bondage) and turns existence toward harmony (dakṣiṇa/auspicious orientation).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Pradakṣiṇā is highlighted—externally as circumambulation of a sacred center, and internally (in Pāśupata-aligned practice) as repeatedly “turning” attention around the axis of Śiva, stabilizing devotion and dissolving distraction.