Shloka 55

Adhyaya 84: शिवव्रतकथनम्

Uma–Maheshvara Vrata, Shula-dana, and Month-wise Ekabhakta Vrata

Devanagari script

महाध्वजाष्टसंयुक्तं विचित्रकुसुमोज्ज्वलम् नगेन्द्रं मेरुनामानं त्रैलोक्याधारमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

mahādhvajāṣṭasaṃyuktaṃ vicitrakusumojjvalam nagendraṃ merunāmānaṃ trailokyādhāramuttamam

Translation

八本の大旗竿を備え、色とりどりの花に輝く、山々の至上の主――メル（須弥）と名づけられるそれは、三界を支える最勝の依り処としてそびえ立つ。

Word by Word

• mahā: great

• dhvaja: banner/flag

• aṣṭa: eight

• saṃyuktaṃ: joined/adorned with

• vicitra: variegated/wondrous

• kusuma: flower

• ujjvalam: shining/radiant

• naga-indram: lord of mountains

• meru-nāmānam: bearing the name Meru

• trailokya: the three worlds

• ādhāram: support/foundation

• uttamam: supreme/excellent

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Trailokya

FAQs

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

By portraying Meru as the “support of the three worlds,” the verse reinforces the Shaiva theme of an unshakable cosmic support—mirrored in the Linga as the stable axis (sthāṇu) around which worship and the universe are ordered.

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

Though Meru is the immediate subject, its role as the supreme foundation points to Shiva as Pati—the ultimate ādhāra (ground) of all realms—by whose steadiness the pashu is upheld and can be led beyond pasha (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The imagery supports dhyāna: establishing the mind on a single, luminous support (ādhāra) like Meru—aligned with Pāśupata-oriented steadiness and one-pointed contemplation used to loosen pasha and stabilize the pashu in devotion to Pati.