Shloka 46

भुवनकोशस्वभाववर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-पर्वत-लोकविन्यासः तथा यक्ष-उमा-प्रकाशः

Devanagari script

प्रत्येकं पञ्चकान्याहुर् नरकाणि विशेषतः अण्डमादौ मया प्रोक्तम् अण्डस्यावरणानि च

Transliteration

pratyekaṃ pañcakānyāhur narakāṇi viśeṣataḥ aṇḍamādau mayā proktam aṇḍasyāvaraṇāni ca

Translation

વિશેષરૂપે કહે છે કે નરકો દરેક પાંચ-પાંચના સમૂહોમાં ગોઠવાયેલા છે. અગાઉ મેં અંડ (બ્રહ્માંડ) અને તેના આવરણો પણ વર્ણવ્યા છે.

Word by Word

• प्रत्येकम्: each, individually

• पञ्चकानि: groups of five

• आहुः: they say/declare

• नरकाणि: hells (states of suffering)

• विशेषतः: especially, in particular

• अण्डम्: the Cosmic Egg, the created cosmos

• आदौ: earlier/at the beginning

• मया: by me

• प्रोक्तम्: spoken/expounded

• अण्डस्य: of the Egg (cosmos)

• आवरणानि: coverings, enclosures, sheaths

• च: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Suta
• Sages of Naimisharanya

FAQs

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

It frames the moral-cosmic order: karmic bondage (pāśa) leads to naraka, while turning to Pati—Shiva, worshipped as the Linga—supports purification and release from the consequences of demerit.

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

Indirectly: the verse situates creation (aṇḍa) and its enclosures as structured realms within which pashus (souls) experience results of karma; Shiva-tattva, as Pati, stands beyond these coverings and is the liberating ground of order and transcendence.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No single rite is named, but the teaching supports Pāśupata-oriented discipline: ethical restraint, expiation, and Shiva-Linga upāsanā to burn karmic residues that otherwise mature into naraka experiences.