Shloka 26

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

विज्ञेयास्तारकाः सर्वास् त्व् ऋषयस्त्वेकरश्मयः आश्रयाः पुण्यकीर्तीनां शुक्लाश्चापि स्ववर्णतः

Transliteration

vijñeyāstārakāḥ sarvās tv ṛṣayastvekaraśmayaḥ āśrayāḥ puṇyakīrtīnāṃ śuklāścāpi svavarṇataḥ

Translation

Sache que toutes les étoiles doivent être comprises comme les Ṛṣi eux-mêmes : des lumières à un seul rayon, demeures de ceux dont la renommée est méritoire ; et, par leur propre nature, elles sont aussi blanches de teinte.

Word by Word

• vijñeyāḥ: are to be known/understood

• tārakāḥ: stars

• sarvāḥ: all

• tu: indeed

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages/seers

• tu: indeed

• ekaraśmayaḥ: having a single ray/beam, single-rayed

• āśrayāḥ: refuges/abodes/supports

• puṇya-kīrtīnām: of those whose renown is virtuous/merit-born

• śuklāḥ: white, bright

• ca api: and also

• sva-varṇataḥ: by their own color/nature

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological teaching within the Purva-Bhaga to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Rishis

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos as a sacred order upheld by merit and seer-knowledge, encouraging the devotee to approach the Linga as the axis of that order—Shiva as Pati—so worship is aligned with dharma, purity, and higher states.

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

Though Shiva is not named, the verse implies a governed cosmic hierarchy where luminous stations (stars/ṛṣis) function as supports for the meritorious—pointing to Shiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati who ordains and sustains the loka-structure in which pashus rise by puṇya and jñāna.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is purification that generates puṇya-kīrti—truthfulness, mantra-japa, and disciplined observance—so the pashu loosens pāśa (bondage) and becomes fit for higher luminous realms under Pati’s cosmic law.