Shloka 20

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

नक्षत्रऋक्षनामिन्यो दाक्षायण्यस्तु ताः स्मृताः स्वर्भानुः सिंहिकापुत्रो भूतसंतापनो ऽसुरः

Transliteration

nakṣatraṛkṣanāminyo dākṣāyaṇyastu tāḥ smṛtāḥ svarbhānuḥ siṃhikāputro bhūtasaṃtāpano 'suraḥ

Translation

നക്ഷത്രങ്ങളുടെയും ഋക്ഷങ്ങളുടെയും നാമങ്ങൾ ധരിച്ച ദക്ഷപുത്രിമാരായി അവർ സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. സിംഹികയുടെ പുത്രൻ സ്വർഭാനു ജീവികളെ പീഡിപ്പിക്കുന്ന അസുരനാണ്.

Word by Word

• नक्षत्र (nakṣatra): lunar mansion, star-asterism

• ऋक्ष (ṛkṣa): constellation/asterism group

• नामिन्यः (nāminyaḥ): named as, bearing the names

• दाक्षायण्यः (dākṣāyaṇyaḥ): daughters/descendants of Dakṣa

• तु (tu): indeed

• ताः (tāḥ): those (feminine plural)

• स्मृताः (smṛtāḥ): remembered, traditionally known

• स्वर्भानुः (svarbhānuḥ): Svarbhānu (eclipse-demon figure)

• सिंहिकापुत्रः (siṃhikā-putraḥ): son of Siṃhikā

• भूतसंतापनः (bhūta-saṃtāpanaḥ): tormenter of beings

• असुरः (asuraḥ): Asura, anti-deva being

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Daksha
• Nakshatras
• Rikshas
• Svarbhanu
• Simhika
• Asuras

FAQs

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

By mapping cosmic order (Nakṣatras/Ṛkṣas) and disruptive forces (Svarbhānu), the verse frames why devotees take refuge in Pati—Śiva—whose Linga is worshipped as the stabilizing axis of dharma amid celestial and asuric turbulence.

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

Indirectly: it contrasts ordered manifestation (star-lore tied to Dakṣa’s line) with suffering-causing forces (an Asura tormenter). In Śaiva Siddhānta terms, such affliction belongs to pasha-conditioned existence, while Śiva as Pati is the transcendent governor who releases the paśu from bondage.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific pūjā-vidhi is stated; the practical takeaway is to align worship and vrata with auspicious nakṣatra time while seeking Śiva’s protection against graha-like afflictions—an applied form of devotion supporting Pāśupata-oriented discipline.