Shloka 7

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

अधिष्ठानं महामेरुर् आश्रयाः केसराचलाः वेगः संवत्सरस्तस्य अयने चक्रसंगमौ

Transliteration

adhiṣṭhānaṃ mahāmerur āśrayāḥ kesarācalāḥ vegaḥ saṃvatsarastasya ayane cakrasaṃgamau

Translation

Ang Mahāmeru ang saligang-aksis nito; ang mga bundok na Keśarācala ang mga hanay na sumusuporta rito. Ang nasusukat na paglalakbay nito ay ang isang taon, at ang dalawang ayana ang mga tagpuan ng gulong ng kalangitan.

Word by Word

• अधिष्ठानम्: foundation, axial support

• महामेरुः: the great Mount Meru (cosmic axis)

• आश्रयाः: supports, resting-places

• केसराचलाः: the Keśara mountains (encircling/supporting ranges)

• वेगः: course, movement, measured progression

• संवत्सरः: the year (annual cycle)

• तस्य: of it (of that cosmic course/axis)

• अयने: the two ayanas (northward and southward solar courses)

• चक्रसंगमौ: the two junctions/meetings of the wheel (turning points of the cycle)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Mahameru
• Kesarachala
• Ayana
• Samvatsara

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos as an ordered axis-and-cycle (Meru and the time-wheel), supporting the Shaiva insight that the Linga signifies Pati (Shiva) as the stable support of all worlds and the regulator of kāla (time).

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

By emphasizing the unshaken foundation (adhiṣṭhāna) and the cyclical governance of time (saṃvatsara, ayana), it points to Shiva-tattva as both the immutable ground (Pati) and the lordly ordinance through which cosmic rhythms proceed.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implicitly highlights worship aligned with sacred time—observances during ayana transitions and annual cycles—supporting Shaiva vrata, japa, and Pashupata-oriented discipline performed at cosmically significant junctions of the kāla-chakra.