Shloka 37

Adhyaya 4: अहोरात्र-युग-मन्वन्तर-कल्पमान तथा प्रलयान्ते सृष्ट्युपक्रमः

Devanagari script

निशान्ते सृजते लोकान् नश्यन्ते निशि जन्तवः तत्र वैमानिकानां तु अष्टाविंशतिकोटयः

Transliteration

niśānte sṛjate lokān naśyante niśi jantavaḥ tatra vaimānikānāṃ tu aṣṭāviṃśatikoṭayaḥ

Translation

ರಾತ್ರಿಯ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಲೋಕಗಳು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯಾಗುತ್ತವೆ; ರಾತ್ರಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಜೀವಿಗಳು ನಾಶವಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆ ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಮಾನವಾಸಿ ದೇವಗಣಗಳ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತೆಂಟು ಕೋಟಿ ಇದೆ.

Word by Word

• niśānte: at the end of night

• sṛjate: creates, brings forth

• lokān: the worlds

• naśyante: perish, are dissolved

• niśi: in the night

• jantavaḥ: creatures, embodied beings

• tatra: there, in that realm/context

• vaimānikānām: of the vaimānikas (celestial, vimāna-dwelling beings)

• tu: indeed, but/emphatic particle

• aṣṭāviṃśati-koṭayaḥ: twenty-eight crores (280 million)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

FAQs

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

It frames existence as cyclical creation and dissolution, implying that Linga-worship is a means to anchor the pashu (soul) in Pati (Shiva) beyond the night-like dissolution of embodied life.

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

Though not naming Shiva explicitly, the verse points to the governing intelligence behind srishti and laya; in Shaiva Siddhanta this sovereignty belongs to Pati, who directs cosmic manifestation while remaining untouched by change.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway aligns with Pashupata discipline: meditate on impermanence (night/dissolution) and seek steadiness in Shiva through japa, dhyana, and Linga-upasana to loosen pasha (bondage).