Shloka 8

सोमवर्णनम्

Graha–Ratha–Aśva Varṇana, Dhruva-Nibaddha Gati, Maṇḍala-Pramāṇa, Graha-Arcana

Devanagari script

नक्षत्रसूर्याश् च तथा ग्रहतारागणैः सह उन्मुखाभिमुखाः सर्वे चक्रभूताः श्रिता दिवि

Transliteration

nakṣatrasūryāś ca tathā grahatārāgaṇaiḥ saha unmukhābhimukhāḥ sarve cakrabhūtāḥ śritā divi

Translation

नक्षत्रे व सूर्य, ग्रह व तारागणांसह—सर्वजण उन्मुख व परस्पराभिमुख होऊन—आकाशात चक्ररूप व्यवस्थेत स्थित आहेत.

Word by Word

• नक्षत्र (nakṣatra): lunar mansions/constellations

• सूर्याः (sūryāḥ): the Suns/the Sun (solar principle)

• च (ca): and

• तथा (tathā): likewise/also

• ग्रह (graha): planets/seizers

• तारा (tārā): stars

• गणैः (gaṇaiḥ): with groups/hosts

• सह (saha): together with

• उन्मुख (unmukha): facing upward/turned toward the higher

• अभिमुखाः (abhimukhāḥ): facing toward/turned toward one another

• सर्वे (sarve): all

• चक्रभूताः (cakrabhūtāḥ): having become a wheel/constituting a wheel

• श्रिताः (śritāḥ): stationed/resting/abiding

• दिवि (divi): in heaven/in the sky.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Surya

FAQs

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

It frames the heavens as an ordered wheel sustained by the Supreme Pati; Linga worship mirrors this by centering the devotee (pashu) on Shiva as the unmoving axis amid cosmic motion.

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

By implying a unified celestial order, it points to Shiva-tattva as the governing intelligence and support (ādhāra) of the moving grahas and stars—Pati who regulates pasha-like constraints such as time and fate.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Graha-śānti and time-aligned Shiva-puja are suggested: orienting worship with nakshatra/solar cycles, and in Pashupata Yoga, steadying awareness on the inner axis (linga-bhāva) while the ‘wheel’ of thoughts revolves.