Shloka 21

भुवनकोशस्वभाववर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-पर्वत-लोकविन्यासः तथा यक्ष-उमा-प्रकाशः

Devanagari script

योजनानां सहस्राणि ऊर्ध्वं पञ्चाशदुच्छ्रितः अधश्चैव चतुस्त्रिंशत् सहस्राणि महाचलः

Transliteration

yojanānāṃ sahasrāṇi ūrdhvaṃ pañcāśaducchritaḥ adhaścaiva catustriṃśat sahasrāṇi mahācalaḥ

Translation

A grande montanha (Mahācala) eleva-se para o alto até cinquenta mil yojanas, e estende-se para baixo também por trinta e quatro mil yojanas.

Word by Word

• yojanānām: of yojanas (units of distance)

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• ūrdhvam: upward

• pañcāśat: fifty

• ucchritaḥ: risen/elevated

• adhaḥ: downward/below

• ca eva: and indeed

• catuḥtriṃśat: thirty-four

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• mahācalaḥ: the great mountain (Mahācala)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Mahacala

FAQs

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

By detailing Mahācala’s vast vertical extent, the verse supports the Purāṇic vision of the cosmos as a structured field for worship—where the Linga functions as the spiritual axis (Pati) around which pashus move under pasha, and pilgrimage-space gains ritual meaning.

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

Though Shiva is not named directly, the immeasurable scale points to the Shaiva Siddhanta idea that the manifest cosmos (including its mountains and measures) is a regulated expression under Pati’s sovereignty—finite in form yet grounded in Shiva’s transcendent order.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi or Pāśupata yoga limb is stated; the takeaway is dhyāna on cosmic magnitude—using Purāṇic cosmography to steady the mind toward the axis-principle associated with the Linga.