Shloka 116

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

नगो नीलः कविः कालो मकरः कालपूजितः सगणो गणकारश् च भूतभावनसारथिः

Transliteration

nago nīlaḥ kaviḥ kālo makaraḥ kālapūjitaḥ sagaṇo gaṇakāraś ca bhūtabhāvanasārathiḥ

Translation

Il est Naga, tel une montagne; Il est Nīla, à la teinte sombre; Il est Kavi, le voyant-poète; Il est Kāla, le Temps lui-même; Il est le Seigneur à l’emblème Makara; Il est vénéré comme le Temps; Il est toujours entouré des Gaṇa; Il crée et conduit les Gaṇa; et Il est le Cocher qui guide et élève tous les êtres.

Word by Word

• नगः: mountain-like/immovable Lord

• नीलः: dark-blue/black-hued One

• कविः: seer, inspired sage-poet

• कालः: Time, the all-consuming principle

• मकरः: Makara (mythic aquatic emblem

• कालपूजितः: worshiped in the form of Time / worshiped by Time

• सगणः: accompanied by the Gaṇas

• गणकारः: maker/organizer of the Gaṇas

• च: and

• भूत: beings/elements/creatures

• भावन: nourisher, cause of becoming, sanctifier

• सारथिः: charioteer, guide, director

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Sahasranama section to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Ganas

FAQs

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

It functions as a Sahasranama-style praise used in Linga-pūjā: by naming Shiva as Time (Kāla), as Gaṇa-lord, and as the guide of beings, the worshiper aligns the pashu (soul) with Pati (the Lord) who dissolves pasha (bondage) through right remembrance and devotion.

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

Shiva is presented as both transcendent and immanent: the immovable support (Naga), the mysterious dark radiance (Nīla), the omniscient seer (Kavi), and the sovereign principle of Time (Kāla) who governs becoming while still compassionately steering beings as their inner director (Bhūtabhāvana-sārathi).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Primarily nāma-japa (recitation of divine names) within Linga-pūjā; yogically, it points to Pāśupata contemplation of Shiva as Kāla (the regulator of mind and karma) and as the inner sārathi guiding the practitioner from pasha to liberation.