Shloka 8

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

शतयोजनविस्तीर्णं तरुणादित्यसन्निभम् वज्रदण्डं महोत्सेधं नाभ्यां सृष्टं तु पुष्करम्

Transliteration

śatayojanavistīrṇaṃ taruṇādityasannibham vajradaṇḍaṃ mahotsedhaṃ nābhyāṃ sṛṣṭaṃ tu puṣkaram

Translation

自脐中显现出普什迦罗（Puṣkara）——莲华——广达百由旬，光耀如初升之日；其茎如金刚杖，高耸无量。此示创造在主宰（Pati，湿婆）摄持下次第展开，使众生界（paśu）得以堪受后续显化。

Word by Word

• śata-yojana-vistīrṇam: extending a hundred yojanas

• taruṇa-āditya-sannibham: resembling the youthful (rising) sun

• vajra-daṇḍam: having a thunderbolt-like staff/stalk

• mahotsedham: of great height/loftiness

• nābhyām: from the navel

• sṛṣṭam: created/manifested

• tu: indeed/then

• puṣkaram: Puṣkara, the lotus

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purva-Bhaga creation account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara (lotus)
• Navel (nābhi)
• Cosmic axis (vajra-daṇḍa imagery)

FAQs

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

It presents the cosmic “axis” imagery (vajra-daṇḍa, immense height) and the ordered unfolding of creation, which later Shaiva readings connect to the Linga as the stable, radiant pillar (sthāṇu) that supports manifestation and becomes the focal symbol for worship.

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

Though Śiva is not named in the line, the Purāṇic frame implies Pati as the unseen governor of sṛṣṭi: creation arises in a measured, luminous, and structured way, indicating an intelligent, transcendent order behind the cosmos—consistent with Śiva-tattva as the supreme ground and regulator.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; the takeaway is contemplative: meditate on the radiant cosmic support (pillar/axis) and the lotus of manifestation as symbols of Pati’s ordering power—an orientation that complements Pāśupata Yoga’s inward focus on the Lord as the stabilizing reality behind the world.