Shloka 42

Adhyaya 59 — सूर्याद्यभिषेककथनम्

Surya and Related Abhisheka/ Cosmological Determinations

Devanagari script

एवं रश्मिसहस्रं तत् सौरं लोकार्थसाधकम् भिद्यते लोकमासाद्य जलशीतोष्णनिःस्रवम्

Transliteration

evaṃ raśmisahasraṃ tat sauraṃ lokārthasādhakam bhidyate lokamāsādya jalaśītoṣṇaniḥsravam

Translation

ดังนี้รัศมีนับพันของพระอาทิตย์ ผู้บำเพ็ญประโยชน์แก่โลก ครั้นถึงแดนมนุษย์ย่อมแยกเป็นส่วน ๆ และไหลออกเป็นน้ำ ทั้งแบบให้ความเย็นและแบบให้ความอุ่น

Word by Word

• evam: thus

• raśmi-sahasram: a thousand rays / thousandfold radiance

• tat: that

• sauram: belonging to the Sun / solar

• lokārtha-sādhakam: accomplishing the purpose/welfare of the worlds

• bhidyate: is divided, differentiated

• lokam: the world (earthly realm)

• āsādya: having reached, upon arriving

• jala: as water

• śīta: cooling, cold

• uṣṇa: warming, hot

• niḥsravam: outflow, issuing forth

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Surya

FAQs

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

It frames nature’s processes as divinely ordered: waters that cool and warm are not random but part of cosmic welfare. In Linga worship, such order is contemplated as the functioning of Pati (Shiva) through the cosmos, making water (jala) a sacred, regulated medium for abhisheka.

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

While Surya is named, the Purana’s Shaiva lens treats all cosmic functions as operating under the higher sovereignty of Pati. The differentiation of one radiance into many effects reflects Shiva-tattva as the governing intelligence that allows tattvas to manifest in diversified, world-sustaining forms.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports jala-tattva contemplation used in Shaiva sadhana: recognizing water’s cooling/warming modalities as cosmic śakti in operation. Ritually, it underlines the sanctity of water for Linga-abhisheka and the yogic practice of seeing elemental transformations as signs of Pati’s governance over pasha-bound experience.