Shloka 6

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

पुष्करं चान्तरिक्षं वै रथनीडश् च मन्दरः अस्ताद्रिरुदयाद्रिश् च उभौ तौ कूबरौ स्मृतौ

Transliteration

puṣkaraṃ cāntarikṣaṃ vai rathanīḍaś ca mandaraḥ astādrirudayādriś ca ubhau tau kūbarau smṛtau

Translation

புஷ்கரம் மற்றும் அந்தரிக்ஷம், ரதநீடம் மற்றும் மந்தரம்; அதுபோல அஸ்தாத்ரி மற்றும் உதயாத்ரி—இவ்விரண்டும் ‘கூபரங்கள்’ என நினைக்கப்படுகின்றன; சிவனின் ஒழுங்குபடுத்திய படைப்பில் நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்ட எல்லைகளை குறிக்கின்றன।

Word by Word

• पुष्करम् (puṣkaram): Pushkara (a sacred region/tīrtha)

• च (ca): and

• अन्तरिक्षम् (antarikṣam): the mid-space/atmospheric realm

• वै (vai): indeed

• रथनीडः (rathanīḍaḥ): Rathanīḍa (a named mountain/region)

• च (ca): and

• मन्दरः (mandaraḥ): Mandara (mountain)

• अस्ताद्रिः (astādriḥ): Astādri (the setting mountain, western limit)

• उदयाद्रिः (udayādriḥ): Udayādri (the rising mountain, eastern limit)

• च (ca): and

• उभौ (ubhau): both

• तौ (tau): those two

• कूबरौ (kūbarau): boundary-peaks/pillars marking limits

• स्मृतौ (smṛtau): are remembered/declared in tradition

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

By naming sacred regions and boundary-peaks, the verse frames the world as a consecrated field (kṣetra) within Śiva’s cosmic order—supporting the Purāṇic idea that Linga-pūjā is strengthened by right orientation, tīrtha-awareness, and reverence for divinely established limits.

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

Śiva-tattva is implied as Pati—the sovereign principle that establishes measure, direction, and stability in creation; the ‘boundary-peaks’ symbolize the governed structure of the cosmos arising under His lordship, within which the paśu (soul) seeks release from pāśa (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; its practical takeaway is dik-smarana (directional recollection) and kṣetra-bhāva—contemplating sacred space before pūjā or meditation, aligning the practitioner within Śiva’s ordered cosmos.