Shloka 11

शिवार्चनविधिः — देवतानां पाशुपतव्रतप्राप्तिः तथा पशुपाशविमोक्षणम् (अध्याय ८०)

Devanagari script

सहस्रसूर्यप्रतिमं महान्तं सहस्रशः सर्वगुणैश् च भिन्नम् जगाम कैलासगिरिं महात्मा मेरुप्रभागे पुरमादिदेवः

Transliteration

sahasrasūryapratimaṃ mahāntaṃ sahasraśaḥ sarvaguṇaiś ca bhinnam jagāma kailāsagiriṃ mahātmā meruprabhāge puramādidevaḥ

Translation

ఆదిదేవుడైన మహాత్ముడు కైలాసగిరికి వెళ్లాడు—మేరు పర్వత ప్రభాగంలో వెలిగే ఆ మహానగరానికి, అది సహస్ర సూర్యుల వలె ప్రకాశించి, అనేక విధాల సర్వగుణ వైభవాలతో విశిష్టమై ఉంది. శైవసిద్ధాంతంలో ఇది పతి-శివుని శివధామం, లోకమానాలను మించు పరమ మంగళక్షేత్రం.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-सूर्य-प्रतिमम्: like a thousand suns

• महान्तम्: vast, great

• सहस्रशः: in thousands, innumerably

• सर्व-गुणैः: by all virtues/excellences

• च: and

• भिन्नम्: distinguished, marked by

• जगाम: went

• कैलास-गिरिम्: to Mount Kailāsa

• महात्मा: the great-souled one

• मेरु-प्रभागे: on the slope/region of Meru

• पुरम्: city

• आदि-देवः: the primordial god (Śiva).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Kailasa
• Meru

FAQs

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

It frames Śiva as Ādideva and locates his presence in the supreme, radiant realm (Kailāsa/Śiva-dhāma). In Linga worship, this supports the idea that the Linga is a portable axis of that same transcendental abode—inviting the devotee to shift from worldly (pāśa-bound) perception to Pati-centered contemplation.

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

Śiva is portrayed as the primordial, great-souled Lord whose splendor is beyond ordinary comparison—“like a thousand suns.” The ‘countless excellences’ indicate fullness (pūrṇatva): Śiva-tattva as the supreme Pati, distinct from the limited qualities of the bound pashu, yet graciously accessible through devotion and right vision.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative practice (dhyāna) is implied: visualizing Kailāsa/Śiva-dhāma and meditating on Śiva’s solar-like radiance. In Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā, such dhyāna supports loosening pāśa (bondage) by fixing the mind on Pati rather than on transient guṇas.