Shloka 12

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

नक्षत्राणि च सर्वाणि नक्षत्राणि विशन्ति च गृहाण्येतानि सर्वाणि ज्योतींषि सुकृतात्मनाम्

Transliteration

nakṣatrāṇi ca sarvāṇi nakṣatrāṇi viśanti ca gṛhāṇyetāni sarvāṇi jyotīṃṣi sukṛtātmanām

Translation

എല്ലാ നക്ഷത്രങ്ങളും നക്ഷത്രസ്ഥാനങ്ങളും വാസസ്ഥാനങ്ങളായി സ്വീകരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഈ സർവ്വ ജ്യോതിർമയ മണ്ഡലങ്ങൾ സുകൃതകർമ്മം കൊണ്ട് ശുദ്ധമായ അന്തഃകരണമുള്ള—ധർമ്മവും പശുപതി-ഭക്തിയും കൊണ്ട് ഉയർന്ന പശു-ജീവാത്മാക്കളുടെ—നിവാസസ്ഥാനങ്ങളാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नक्षत्राणि: lunar mansions/constellations

• च: and

• सर्वाणि: all

• नक्षत्राणि: the nakṣatras (stellar stations)

• विशन्ति: they enter/attain

• च: also

• गृहाणि: houses/dwellings/abodes

• एतानि: these

• सर्वाणि: all

• ज्योतींषि: luminous realms/lights (celestial spheres)

• सुकृतात्मनाम्: of those whose nature (ātman) is formed by good deeds/merit

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It frames merit (sukṛta)—often generated through Shiva-oriented dharma such as Linga-puja, vrata, and dana—as a force that elevates the paśu (individual soul) to higher luminous realms, showing worship’s tangible fruit in the cosmic order.

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

Implicitly, Shiva-tattva is Paśupati—the Lord who governs the cosmic lights and their abodes—while the paśu ascends by loosening pasha (bondage) through sukṛta aligned with devotion and right conduct.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights karma-phala rooted in dharma; in a Shaiva reading, this points to Linga-puja and Shiva-bhakti as sukṛta-producing disciplines that prepare the soul for higher states, even before the final liberation taught in Pashupata-oriented paths.