Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26

सूर्यरश्मिस्वरूपकथनम्

Surya-Rashmi Svarupa Kathana

Devanagari script

दृश्यन्ते दिवि ताः सर्वाः विश्वं चेदं पुनर्जगत् न क्षीयन्ते यतस्तानि तस्मान्नक्षत्रता स्मृता

Transliteration

dṛśyante divi tāḥ sarvāḥ viśvaṃ cedaṃ punarjagat na kṣīyante yatastāni tasmānnakṣatratā smṛtā

Translation

ಆಕಾಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಜ್ಯೋತಿಗಳು ಕಾಣುತ್ತವೆ; ಈ ಸಮಸ್ತ ವಿಶ್ವವೂ ಮತ್ತೆ ಚಲಿಸುವ ಜಗತ್ತಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅವು ಕ್ಷಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲವಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅವು ‘ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ’—ಅಕ್ಷಯ ತಾರೆಗಳು—ಎಂದು ಸ್ಮರಿಸಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತವೆ.

Word by Word

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen

• दिवि: in heaven/in the sky

• ताः सर्वाः: all those (luminaries)

• विश्वम्: the universe

• च: and

• इदम्: this

• पुनः: again

• जगत्: the moving world/creation

• न: not

• क्षीयन्ते: decay/waste away

• यतः: because/since

• तानि: they

• तस्मात्: therefore

• नक्षत्रता: the state/name of being ‘nakṣatra’ (imperishable star)

• स्मृता: is remembered/known as

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It points to the cosmic steadiness that underlies the changing jagat; in Linga worship, the devotee turns from the perishing world (pāśa-bound perception) toward the imperishable principle upheld by Pati—Shiva—symbolized by the Linga as the stable axis of order.

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

By emphasizing the ‘non-decaying’ (akṣaya) aspect behind visible phenomena, it aligns with Shiva-tattva as the sustaining, changeless ground (Pati) in which the universe appears and reappears, while the pashu’s experience of motion and change continues.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative Pāśupata-oriented takeaway: meditate on the contrast between the changing jagat and the akṣaya principle, using Linga-dhyāna to loosen pāśa (bondage) and stabilize awareness in Pati.