Shloka 2

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

अरुन्धतीं ध्रुवं चैव सोमछायां महापथम् यो न पश्येन्न जीवेत्स नरः संवत्सरात्परम्

Transliteration

arundhatīṃ dhruvaṃ caiva somachāyāṃ mahāpatham yo na paśyenna jīvetsa naraḥ saṃvatsarātparam

Translation

Người nào không thấy Arundhatī, Dhruva, vệt sáng của Mặt Trăng và Đại Đạo (trên trời), thì không sống quá một năm. Vì thế, Purāṇa chỉ bày trật tự thiêng liêng của vũ trụ; sự thấy biết đúng đắn nâng đỡ dharma và làm cho pashu (linh hồn bị trói) được vững hướng về Pati (Śiva).

Word by Word

• अरुन्धतीम् (arundhatīm): Arundhatī (the chaste star)

• ध्रुवम् (dhruvam): Dhruva, the Pole Star

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• सोमछायाम् (somachāyām): the Moon’s radiance/track (lunar light, lunar path)

• महापथम् (mahāpatham): the Great Path (celestial highway, Milky Way/sky-route)

• यः (yaḥ): whoever

• न पश्येत् (na paśyet): does not see/does not behold

• न जीवेत् (na jīveta): would not live

• सः नरः (saḥ naraḥ): that man

• संवत्सरात् परम् (saṃvatsarāt param): beyond a year.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Arundhati
• Dhruva
• Soma

FAQs

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

It frames right perception of cosmic order as a support for dharma; for a Liṅga-upāsaka, such ordered awareness strengthens purity (śuddhi) and steadies the paśu toward Pati, making worship effective rather than merely external.

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

By emphasizing fixed celestial markers (Dhruva, Mahāpātha), it indirectly points to Śiva-tattva as the unwavering ground of order—Pati who remains constant while the paśu, under pāśa (bondage), must learn steadiness and alignment.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A discipline of auspicious observation (maṅgala-darśana) and attentiveness to cosmic rhythms—useful for timing vrata, pūjā, and inner steadiness in Pāśupata-oriented practice, where perception and conduct are purified together.