Shloka 60
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
सुपूजितं देवगणैर्महात्मभि: शिवादिभिर्भारत पुण्यकर्मभि: । रराज तच्चाश्रममण्डलं सदा दिवीव राजन् शशिमण्डलं यथा
supūjitaṃ devagaṇair mahātmabhiḥ śivādibhir bhārata puṇyakarmabhiḥ | rarāja tac cāśramamaṇḍalaṃ sadā divīva rājan śaśimaṇḍalaṃ yathā ||
हे भरतवंशी नरेश! देवगणों तथा शिव आदि पुण्यकर्मा महात्माओं द्वारा अत्यन्त पूजित वह आश्रम-मण्डल सदा ही शोभायमान रहता था; वह आकाश में चन्द्रमण्डल की भाँति दीप्तिमान प्रतीत होता था।
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sustained merit (puṇya) and proper reverence (pūjā) confer a visible ‘radiance’ upon persons and places: a hermitage grounded in virtue and honoured by the divine becomes an emblem of dharma, shining like the moon.
Vāsudeva describes a particular hermitage precinct that is continually resplendent because it is honoured by hosts of gods and by great beings such as Śiva; he compares its splendour to the moon’s disc in the sky, emphasizing its sanctity and renown.