Shloka 22

शिवार्चनविधिः — देवतानां पाशुपतव्रतप्राप्तिः तथा पशुपाशविमोक्षणम् (अध्याय ८०)

Devanagari script

अष्टमं नवमं चैव दशमं च पुरोत्तमम् अतीत्यासाद्य देवस्य पुरं शंभोः सुशोभनम्

Transliteration

aṣṭamaṃ navamaṃ caiva daśamaṃ ca purottamam atītyāsādya devasya puraṃ śaṃbhoḥ suśobhanam

Translation

अष्टमं नवमं चैव दशमं च पुरोत्तमम् अतीत्य, देवस्य शंभोः सुशोभनं पुरम् आसाद्य तस्थुः।

Word by Word

• अष्टमम्: the eighth (city/realm/fort)

• नवमम्: the ninth

• च एव: and indeed

• दशमम्: the tenth

• च: and

• पुरोत्तमम्: the most excellent among cities/fortresses

• अतीत्य: having passed beyond, transcending

• आसाद्य: having reached, arriving at

• देवस्य: of the God (the Lord)

• पुरम्: city, divine abode

• शंभोः: of Śambhu (Śiva as Pati)

• सुशोभनम्: very beautiful, splendid

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the final refuge (Pati) beyond successive realms, implying that Linga-upāsanā is not merely for worldly attainments but for transcending levels of existence to reach Śiva’s own dhāma.

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

Śambhu is presented as the supreme divine center—his city is reached only after ‘passing beyond’ prior stations—signaling Shiva-tattva as transcendent, the terminus beyond graded worlds and limitations (pāśa).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implies a Pāśupata-oriented ascent: disciplined transcendence of lower states through devotion, purification, and meditative progression culminating in orientation to Śiva (Pati) as the highest goal.