Shloka 48

सूर्यरथ-रचना, ध्रुव-प्रेरणा, मास-गणाः च

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

रक्षोहेतिः प्रहेतिश् च यातुधानावुदाहृतौ मधुमाधवयोरेष गणो वसति भास्करे

Transliteration

rakṣohetiḥ prahetiś ca yātudhānāvudāhṛtau madhumādhavayoreṣa gaṇo vasati bhāskare

Translation

Rakṣoheti dan Praheti dinyatakan sebagai Yātudhāna. Gaṇa ini bersemayam dalam Surya (Bhāskara) pada bulan Madhu dan Mādhava, bergerak di bawah titah Śiva dalam tertib kosmik yang mengikat dan melepaskan pashu (jiwa individu).

Word by Word

• रक्षोहेतिः (rakṣohetiḥ): Rakṣoheti (a named being)

• प्रहेतिः (prahetiḥ): Praheti (a named being)

• च (ca): and

• यातुधानौ (yātudhānau): two yātudhānas/demonic beings (pair)

• उदाहृतौ (udāhṛtau): are proclaimed/are said to be

• मधुमाधवयोः (madhu-mādhavayoḥ): in (the months) Madhu and Mādhava (spring months, roughly Caitra–Vaiśākha)

• एषः (eṣaḥ): this

• गणः (gaṇaḥ): gaṇa/attendant-host (classified group within Śiva’s cosmic retinue)

• वसति (vasati): dwells/abides

• भास्करे (bhāskare): in the Sun, in Bhāskara (solar sphere).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Bhaskara (Sun)
• Rakshoheti
• Praheti
• Yatudhana
• Shiva (implied as Lord of the Ganas)

FAQs

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

It links Śiva’s gaṇas to the solar cycle, implying that Linga-pūjā is not merely personal devotion but participation in Śiva’s cosmic regulation (ṛta) that governs time, purity, and transformation.

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

Śiva-tattva is implied as Pati—the supreme regulator whose command orders even fierce classes like yātudhānas into defined cosmic stations, showing sovereignty over pasha (bondage-forces) and their placement within dharma.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Seasonal/time-aligned observance is suggested: performing Śiva-pūjā, japa, and vrata with awareness of lunar-solar months (Madhu–Mādhava) as part of disciplined Pāśupata-oriented alignment with Śiva’s cosmic rhythm.