Shloka 120

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

अप्सु शेते यतस्तस्मात् ततो नारायणः स्मृतः चतुर्युगसहस्रस्य नैशं कालम् उपास्यतः

Transliteration

apsu śete yatastasmāt tato nārāyaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ caturyugasahasrasya naiśaṃ kālam upāsyataḥ

Translation

เพราะพระองค์บรรทมอยู่ในหมู่น้ำ จึงทรงเป็นที่ระลึกนามว่า ‘นารายณ์’ และทรงดำรงอยู่ในสมาธิอุปาสนา ตลอดกาลราตรีซึ่งยาวเท่าพันวัฏจักรแห่งจตุรยุค

Word by Word

• अप्सु (apsu): in the waters

• शेते (śete): lies, reclines

• यतः (yataḥ): because, since

• तस्मात् (tasmāt): therefore

• ततः (tataḥ): hence

• नारायणः (nārāyaṇaḥ): Nārāyaṇa (the one who rests in the waters)

• स्मृतः (smṛtaḥ): is remembered/called

• चतुर्युगसहस्रस्य (caturyuga-sahasrasya): of a thousand (sets) of the four yugas

• नैशम् (naiśam): pertaining to the night (cosmic night)

• कालम् (kālam): time period

• उपास्यतः (upāsyataḥ): worshipping/meditating, being engaged in contemplation

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Narayana
• Cosmic Waters (Apas)

FAQs

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

It frames dissolution (pralaya) and cosmic time as a sacred backdrop: even when forms withdraw into the waters, the Supreme Lord remains the Pati (Lord) beyond change—supporting the Shaiva view that the Linga signifies the formless, enduring reality through all cycles.

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

Though naming Nārāyaṇa, the verse highlights the transcendent principle that abides through the cosmic night; in Shaiva Siddhanta this points to Pati—Shiva as the unwavering consciousness in which creation, maintenance, and dissolution occur, while pashus (souls) remain bound by pasha until grace.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Upāsanā as sustained contemplation: the model is uninterrupted meditation through vast cycles, echoing Pāśupata-oriented discipline where steadiness of awareness (dhyāna/upāsanā) is emphasized beyond changing cosmic conditions.