Shloka 20

Adhyaya 63: Daksha’s Progeny, Kashyapa’s Offspring, and the Rishi-Vamshas that Sustain the Worlds

Devanagari script

प्रत्यूषश् च प्रभासश् च वसवो ऽष्टौ प्रकीर्तिताः अजैकपाद् अहिर्बुध्न्यो विरूपाक्षः सभैरवः

Transliteration

pratyūṣaś ca prabhāsaś ca vasavo 'ṣṭau prakīrtitāḥ ajaikapād ahirbudhnyo virūpākṣaḥ sabhairavaḥ

Translation

Pratyūṣa dan Prabhāsa dinyatakan termasuk delapan Vasu. Demikian pula Ajaikapād, Ahirbudhnya, Virūpākṣa, dan Bhairava yang dahsyat—mereka terhitung dalam rombongan Rudra, daya ilahi yang bekerja di bawah Pati, Śiva, dalam tatanan semesta.

Word by Word

• प्रत्यूषः: Pratyūṣa (a Vasu, deity of dawn)

• च: and

• प्रभासः: Prabhāsa (a Vasu, deity of radiance)

• च: and

• वसवः: the Vasus (a class of eight deities)

• अष्टौ: eight

• प्रकीर्तिताः: are proclaimed/celebrated

• अजैकपाद्: Ajaikapād (a Rudra-name, 'the one-footed unborn')

• अहिर्बुध्न्यः: Ahirbudhnya (a Rudra-name, 'serpent of the deep/foundation')

• विरूपाक्षः: Virūpākṣa (a Rudra-name, 'the many/strange-eyed')

• स-भैरवः: together with Bhairava / the formidable Bhairava

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vasus
• Rudras
• Pratyusha
• Prabhasa
• Ajaikapad
• Ahirbudhnya
• Virupaksha
• Bhairava

FAQs

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

It situates Linga-worship within the wider Shaiva cosmos: the Vasus and Rudra-forms are administrative divine powers whose source and lordship culminate in Pati (Śiva), worshipped as the Linga.

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

By listing Rudra-names culminating in Bhairava, it hints at Śiva-tattva as both sustaining order and embodying awe-inspiring transformative power—governing the divine hosts while remaining their inner ruler (Pati).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi is stated; the takeaway is mantra-oriented remembrance (japa) of Rudra-names—supportive to Pāśupata-oriented devotion where the Paśu (soul) turns from pāśa (bondage) toward Pati (Śiva).