Shloka 17

Adhyaya 52: सोमाधारः, पुण्योदानदी, मेरुप्रदक्षिणा, जम्बूद्वीपनववर्षवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

हैरण्मया महाभागा हिरण्मयवनाश्रयाः एकादश सहस्राणि शतानि दशपञ्च च

Transliteration

hairaṇmayā mahābhāgā hiraṇmayavanāśrayāḥ ekādaśa sahasrāṇi śatāni daśapañca ca

Translation

Они были золотого сияния, весьма благословенные, обитали в лесу Хиранмайя (золотом лесу) — числом одиннадцать тысяч и еще сто пятнадцать.

Word by Word

• hairaṇmayā: golden, of golden radiance

• mahābhāgāḥ: greatly fortunate/noble

• hiraṇmaya-vana-āśrayāḥ: those who take refuge/dwell in the golden forest

• ekādaśa: eleven

• sahasrāṇi: thousands

• śatāni: hundreds

• daśa: ten

• pañca: five

• ca: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

By enumerating radiant divine groups and their sacred abode, the verse frames the cosmos as an ordered, sanctified field where Shiva (Pati) is worshipped through forms and realms that support dharma and Linga-upasana.

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

Indirectly: the luminous (hiraṇmaya) beings and their abode imply Shiva-tattva as the source of radiance and order—Pati whose presence structures worlds and hosts even when not named explicitly.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this line; it supports contemplative practice (dhyana) on Shiva’s cosmos—using sacred enumeration and luminous imagery as aids for inner focus in a Pashupata-oriented worldview.