Shloka 8

Adhyaya 59 — सूर्याद्यभिषेककथनम्

Surya and Related Abhisheka/ Cosmological Determinations

Devanagari script

स्वयंभूर्भगवांस्तत्र लोकसर्वार्थसाधकः खद्योतवत्स व्यचरद् आविर्भावचिकीर्षया

Transliteration

svayaṃbhūrbhagavāṃstatra lokasarvārthasādhakaḥ khadyotavatsa vyacarad āvirbhāvacikīrṣayā

Translation

ณ ที่นั้น พระภควานผู้บังเกิดด้วยตนเอง—ผู้ยังประโยชน์ทั้งปวงแห่งโลกให้สำเร็จ—ทรงเคลื่อนไหวดุจหิ่งห้อย ด้วยพระประสงค์จะให้การอวตารปรากฏ

Word by Word

• स्वयंभूः: self-born, self-existent (Svayambhū)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord (Pati, Īśvara)

• तत्र: there, in that place/context

• लोक: the worlds, beings as a whole

• सर्व-अर्थ-साधकः: fulfiller of all aims/ends (dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa) for the worlds

• खद्योतवत्: like a khadyota, a firefly (small, flickering radiance)

• व्यचरद्: moved about, wandered, pervaded/roamed

• आविर्भाव: manifestation, becoming evident

• चिकीर्षया: with the intention/desire to do (to bring about).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Śiva as Svayaṃbhū—self-manifest—who chooses to become perceptible for the welfare of the worlds, supporting the Purāṇic idea that the Liṅga is a revealed form (prādurbhāva) through which devotees approach the transcendent Pati.

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

Śiva is presented as the autonomous Lord (Pati), self-existent and compassionate, who fulfills the highest aims of beings; His subtle movement “like a firefly” suggests a gentle, luminous self-disclosure rather than a forced or created embodiment.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to prādurbhāva (divine self-revelation), which in practice is approached through Liṅga-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented discipline—purifying the pashu (soul) from pāśa (bondage) so the Lord’s presence becomes experientially evident.