Shloka 6

मेरुवर्णनम्—प्रमाण, दिग्विभाग, देवपुरी-विमान-निवासाः

Devanagari script

ततः षोडशसाहस्रं योजनानि क्षितेरधः शेषं चोपरि विप्रेन्द्रा धरायास्तस्य शृङ्गिणः

Transliteration

tataḥ ṣoḍaśasāhasraṃ yojanāni kṣiteradhaḥ śeṣaṃ copari viprendrā dharāyāstasya śṛṅgiṇaḥ

Translation

随后，噢婆罗门中最胜者，地底下十六千由旬处有舍沙（Śeṣa）；在他之上，此大地安住，由那有角的承载者所支撑。

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter

• ṣoḍaśa-sāhasram: sixteen thousand

• yojanāni: yojanas (a measure of distance)

• kṣiteḥ: of the earth

• adhaḥ: below/beneath

• śeṣam: Śeṣa (Ananta, the cosmic serpent)

• ca: and

• upari: above

• vipra-indrāḥ: O chiefs among brahmins

• dharāyāḥ: of the earth

• tasya: of him

• śṛṅgiṇaḥ: of the horned one/bearer with horns (supporting being)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Suta
• Sages of Naimisharanya
• Shesha

FAQs

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

It frames the universe as supported by subordinate cosmic powers (like Śeṣa), implying that all supports ultimately depend on the supreme Pati—Śiva—toward whom Linga worship directs the mind beyond material adhāras.

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

By depicting even the earth as resting on a cosmic supporter, it indirectly points to Shiva-tattva as the transcendental ground of all grounds—Pati who is not upheld by anything, while all tattvas and worlds remain contingent.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative practice aligned with Pāśupata Yoga: meditating on the layered cosmos as dependent (pāśa-bound) and fixing awareness on the Linga as the axis that leads the pashu (soul) to the independent Pati.