Shloka 12

शिवार्चनविधिः — देवतानां पाशुपतव्रतप्राप्तिः तथा पशुपाशविमोक्षणम् (अध्याय ८०)

Devanagari script

ततो ऽथ नारिगजवाजिसंकुलं रथैर् अनेकैर् अमरारिसूदनः गणैर्गणेशैश् च गिरीन्द्रसंनिभं महापुरद्वारमजो हरिश् च

Transliteration

tato 'tha nārigajavājisaṃkulaṃ rathair anekair amarārisūdanaḥ gaṇairgaṇeśaiś ca girīndrasaṃnibhaṃ mahāpuradvāramajo hariś ca

Translation

Então o Matador dos inimigos dos deuses avançou com muitos carros, apinhados de mulheres, elefantes e cavalos; e Hari também—Aja, o “não nascido” como princípio supremo—veio com hostes de gaṇas e seus senhores, chegando ao grande portão da cidade, elevado como o rei das montanhas.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• atha: thereafter

• nāri: women

• gaja: elephants

• vāji: horses

• saṅkulam: crowded/thronged

• rathaiḥ: with chariots

• anekaiḥ: many

• amarāri-sūdanaḥ: slayer of the enemies of the gods (a heroic epithet used here for the divine leader)

• gaṇaiḥ: with the gaṇa-hosts

• gaṇeśaiḥ: with the lords of gaṇas/chieftains

• ca: and

• girīndra-saṃnibham: resembling the lord of mountains (Himālaya/Meru), mountain-like

• mahā-pura-dvāram: the great city-gate

• ajaḥ: unborn

• hariḥ: Hari (Viṣṇu)

• ca: also/and

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Ganas
• Ganeshas (gaṇa-lords)

FAQs

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

It frames the approach to a sacred threshold (the “great city-gate”) with a vast divine retinue, mirroring how devotees approach the Linga: moving from the outer, crowded world toward the inner sanctum where Pati (the Lord) is realized.

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

By emphasizing an overwhelming, mountain-like presence and the command of gaṇas, it gestures to Shiva-tattva as Pati—sovereign, unshakable, and transcendent—before whom even cosmic powers and their hosts assemble.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implicitly highlights the discipline of approaching a holy locus in ordered procession—an outer analogue of Pāśupata practice: withdrawing from distraction (saṅkula) and moving inward toward the Lord through reverent, regulated approach.