Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

शैलेन्द्रः कार्मुकं चैव ज्या भुजङ्गाधिपः स्वयम् कालरात्र्या तथैवेह तथेन्द्रधनुषा पुनः

Transliteration

śailendraḥ kārmukaṃ caiva jyā bhujaṅgādhipaḥ svayam kālarātryā tathaiveha tathendradhanuṣā punaḥ

Translation

Tại đây, Śailendra chính là cây cung; dây cung là chúa tể loài rắn tự thân. Cũng vậy, Kālarātrī hiện diện nơi này; và lại nữa, cầu vồng của Indra cũng là cây cung. Nhờ những nhân cách hóa thiêng liêng ấy, quyền năng của Pati—Đại Śiva tối thượng—được thấu hiểu, khi cả vũ khí và sức mạnh của thời gian đều trở thành khí cụ trong tay Ngài.

Word by Word

• शैलेन्द्रः: Śailendra (lord of mountains, the mountain-king)

• कार्मुकम्: bow

• च एव: and indeed

• ज्या: bowstring

• भुजङ्गाधिपः: lord of serpents (Nāga-king, e.g., Vāsuki/Śeṣa)

• स्वयम्: himself

• कालरात्र्या: by/with Kālarātrī (the dark night of Time, destructive power)

• तथा एव इह: just so, here

• तथा इन्द्रधनुषा: likewise by/with Indra’s rainbow (indra-dhanuṣ)

• पुनः: again/further

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purva-Bhaga to the sages; verse embedded in a descriptive-stuti of divine forces/ayudhas)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Śailendra
• Bhujangādhipa (Nāga-king)
• Kālarātrī
• Indra

FAQs

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

It trains the devotee to perceive all cosmic powers—mountain, serpent-force, Time (Kālarātrī), and the rainbow of Indra—as subordinate manifestations serving Pati (Shiva). This supports Linga-puja as worship of the One who holds and transcends all forces.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the sovereign principle in which even destructive Time-power (Kālarātrī) and protective or celestial forces (Indra’s rainbow) become functional expressions—showing Pati as the controller of pasha-like forces that bind or liberate pashus.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative stuti (bhāvanā) aligned with Pāśupata insight: during japa or Linga-dhyāna, the sādhaka internalizes that all energies and instruments are Shiva’s—reducing pasha (bondage) by dissolving the sense of separate agency.