Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 10

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

शौक्रं शुक्रो ऽविशत्स्थानं षोडशार्चिः प्रतापवान् बृहद् बृहस्पतिश्चैव लोहितश्चैव लोहितम्

Transliteration

śaukraṃ śukro 'viśatsthānaṃ ṣoḍaśārciḥ pratāpavān bṛhad bṛhaspatiścaiva lohitaścaiva lohitam

Translation

Ang maningning na Śukra ay pumasok sa sariling himpilan ng Venus, nagliliyab sa labing-anim na sinag at dakilang karilagan. Gayundin, si Bṛhaspati ay pumasok sa dakilang himpilan (Jupiter), at si Lohita (Maṅgala) ay pumasok sa pulang himpilan (Mars).

Word by Word

• śaukram: of Venus, the Venusian

• śukraḥ: Śukra (Venus, also the preceptor of the Asuras)

• aviśat: entered

• sthānam: station, sphere, appointed place

• ṣoḍaśa-arciḥ: having sixteen rays

• pratāpavān: endowed with brilliance/majesty

• bṛhat: great, vast

• bṛhaspatiḥ: Bṛhaspati (Jupiter, preceptor of the Devas)

• ca eva: and indeed/also

• lohitaḥ: Lohita (the Red One, Mars/Maṅgala)

• lohitam: the red (sphere/station).

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Shukra
• Brihaspati
• Lohita (Mangala)

FAQs

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

It frames the grahas as occupying divinely appointed stations, implying that Shiva as Pati upholds ṛta (cosmic order); Linga worship aligns the devotee (pashu) with that stabilizing order.

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

Though Shiva is not directly described here, the orderly placement of luminaries reflects Shiva-tattva as the transcendent governor of manifestation—binding and releasing pashus through pasha in a regulated cosmos.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports a puja-yoga takeaway: perform Shiva-puja with awareness of cosmic timing (graha/kalā), using discipline to loosen pasha and steady the mind toward Pati.