Shloka 21
वनं चैत्ररथं पूर्वे दक्षिणे गन्धमादनः । विभ्राजं पश्चिमे तद्वदुत्तरे नन्दनं स्मृतम्
vanaṃ caitrarathaṃ pūrve dakṣiṇe gandhamādanaḥ | vibhrājaṃ paścime tadvaduttare nandanaṃ smṛtam
A leste fica a floresta Caitraratha; ao sul, Gandhamādana. A oeste está Vibhrāja; e, do mesmo modo, ao norte é lembrada Nandana como situada ali.
Suta Goswami
Sthala Purana: These directional forests (Caitraratha, Gandhamādana, Vibhrāja, Nandana) function as a cosmographic frame around Meru/Devaloka rather than a Jyotirliṅga-sthala narrative; they set the ‘field’ in which divine presences and sacred geographies are later located.
Significance: Contemplative ‘smaraṇa’ of divine geography: mentally situating Śiva’s cosmos (adhidaivika order) as a support for dhyāna and for understanding tīrtha-mahātmyas that follow.
FAQs
It maps a sanctified, cosmic geography where divine groves are arranged by direction, teaching that sacred space is ordered and contemplative—supporting dhyāna and pilgrimage by orienting the mind toward higher realms under Śiva’s lordship.
Directional sacred sites function like external supports (ālambana) for Saguna devotion: pilgrims and devotees approach the Divine through consecrated places, which ultimately lead the mind to the supreme Pati (Śiva) beyond place.
A practical takeaway is dik-smaraṇa (directional recollection) during worship—facing a chosen direction, mentally invoking sacred abodes, and then centering on Śiva with mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).