Shloka 83

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

Devanagari script

वृन्दशस्तं समावृत्य जग्मुः सोमं गणैर्वृताः सहस्राणां सहस्राणि रुद्राणामूर्ध्वरेतसाम्

Transliteration

vṛndaśastaṃ samāvṛtya jagmuḥ somaṃ gaṇairvṛtāḥ sahasrāṇāṃ sahasrāṇi rudrāṇāmūrdhvaretasām

Translation

அவர்கள் அணியணியாக அவரைச் சூழ்ந்து, கணங்களால் சூழப்பட்டவர்களாய், சோமனுடன் முன்னே சென்றனர்—யோகக் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் மேல்நோக்கித் திரும்பிய சக்தியுடைய ஊர்த்வரேதஸ் ருத்ரர்கள் ஆயிரமாயிரம் பேர்।

Word by Word

• vṛndaśaḥ: in groups/companies

• tam: him/that one

• samāvṛtya: having surrounded/encircled

• jagmuḥ: they went/proceeded

• somam: Soma (the Moon-god/nectar-lord)

• gaṇaiḥ: by the gaṇas (Shiva’s hosts)

• vṛtāḥ: surrounded/attended

• sahasrāṇām sahasrāṇi: thousands upon thousands

• rudrāṇām: of the Rudras

• ūrdhva-retasām: of those whose retas (vital seed/energy) is directed upward (brahmacarya-yogins).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• Rudras
• Shiva (implied)
• Ganas

FAQs

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

It frames the Shaiva universe as ordered around Pati (Shiva): Soma moves under the protection of Shiva’s gaṇas and Rudras, implying that devotion to the Linga aligns the worshipper with Shiva’s cosmic governance and protective hosts.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the sovereign power that commands innumerable Rudras and gaṇas; their disciplined, ūrdhvaretas nature reflects Shiva’s mastery of tapas and yogic sovereignty over life-force.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key yogic marker is ūrdhvaretas—brahmacarya and the upward sublimation of vital energy, a Pashupata-aligned ideal of restraint (niyama) supporting inner purity for Shiva-upasana.