Shloka 1

मेरुवर्णनम्—प्रमाण, दिग्विभाग, देवपुरी-विमान-निवासाः

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे भरतवर्षकथनं नाम सप्तचत्वारिंशो ऽध्यायः सुत उवाच मेरु अस्य द्वीपस्य मध्ये तु मेरुर् नाम महागिरिः नानारत्नमयैः शृङ्गैः स्थितः स्थितिमतां वरः

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge bharatavarṣakathanaṃ nāma saptacatvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ suta uvāca Meru asya dvīpasya madhye tu merur nāma mahāgiriḥ nānāratnamayaiḥ śṛṅgaiḥ sthitaḥ sthitimatāṃ varaḥ

Translation

Như vậy, trong Śrī Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa, phần Pūrvabhāga, mở đầu chương mang tên “Thuật chuyện Bhārata-varṣa”. Sūta nói: Ngay giữa châu lục này có ngọn đại sơn tên Meru, với những đỉnh núi kết bằng vô số châu báu, đứng vững uy nghi, bậc nhất trong mọi vật kiên cố bất động.

Word by Word

• iti: thus

• śrī-liṅga-mahāpurāṇe: in the venerable Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa

• pūrva-bhāge: in the first section (Pūrvabhāga)

• bhārata-varṣa-kathanaṃ nāma: named 'the narration of Bhārata-varṣa'

• saptacatvāriṃśaḥ adhyāyaḥ: the forty-seventh chapter (as stated in the colophon)

• suta uvāca: Sūta said

• meruḥ: Meru

• asya dvīpasya: of this continent/island (dvīpa)

• madhye tu: indeed in the middle

• meruḥ nāma: by name Meru

• mahāgiriḥ: the great mountain

• nānā-ratna-mayaiḥ: made of various jewels

• śṛṅgaiḥ: with peaks/summits

• sthitaḥ: stands/abides

• sthitimātāṃ varaḥ: the best among the steadfast/immovable.

Speaker

Suta

Characters & Entities

• Suta
• Meru
• Bharata-varsha

FAQs

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

By placing Meru at the center of the world, the verse echoes the Shaiva idea of a central, unshakable support—like the Liṅga as the cosmic pillar—around which order (dharma) and worship are oriented.

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

Meru is praised as “the best among the steadfast,” mirroring Śiva as Pati—the unmoving, supreme ground of being—while the jewel-like peaks suggest the manifold energies and manifestations supported by that one stable Reality.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No explicit rite is taught here; the takeaway is the Shaiva use of sacred geography as a support for sādhanā—centering the mind on the ‘immovable’ (sthira) principle, a key contemplative mood in Pāśupata-oriented practice.