Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

प्रवृत्तनृत्तानुगताप्सरोगणं प्रहृष्टनानाविधपक्षिसेवितम् प्रनृत्तहारीतकुलोपनादितं मृगेन्द्रनादाकुलमत्तमानसैः

Transliteration

pravṛttanṛttānugatāpsarogaṇaṃ prahṛṣṭanānāvidhapakṣisevitam pranṛttahārītakulopanāditaṃ mṛgendranādākulamattamānasaiḥ

Translation

Là, des troupes d’Apsaras suivaient l’élan toujours plus vif de la danse; et des oiseaux de mille espèces, dans la joie, fréquentaient ce lieu. Il retentissait des cris des perroquets verts qui dansaient, et les esprits de tous semblaient enivrés—soulevés par le tumulte de rugissements de lion. Dans un tel champ d’effroi sacré et de ravissement, les âmes-paśu sont attirées au-dedans vers le Pati, le Seigneur Śiva, tandis que leurs liens (pāśa) se desserrent dans l’émerveillement.

Word by Word

• pravṛtta: set in motion, proceeding

• nṛtta: dance

• anugata: following, accompanying

• apsarogaṇam: hosts of Apsarases

• prahṛṣṭa: delighted, exhilarated

• nānā-vidha: of many kinds

• pakṣi: bird

• sevitam: frequented, inhabited

• pranṛtta: dancing, actively moving

• hārīta-kula: flocks of green parrots

• upanāditam: made to resound, filled with sound

• mṛga-indra: lord of beasts (lion)

• nāda: roar, sound

• ākula: tumultuous, filled, agitated

• matta: intoxicated, enraptured

• mānasaiḥ: by minds (of beings present)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Apsarases

FAQs

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

It portrays the Shiva-field as charged with auspicious movement and sound—conditions that purify the mind and make it fit for Linga-darshana, where the Pashu turns toward the Pati and bondage (pāśa) begins to slacken.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the awe-inspiring, bliss-bestowing center of a sacred realm: even nature and celestial beings move in rapt harmony, indicating the Lord as the source of both delight and majestic dread that dissolves egoic limitation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports Pashupata-oriented inner discipline through sacred sound and concentrated attention: entering a Shiva-sanctified space, steadying the mind amid powerful nāda (resonance), and letting devotional rapture become one-pointed contemplation.