Shloka 53

सूर्यरथ-रचना, ध्रुव-प्रेरणा, मास-गणाः च

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

एलापत्रस् तथा सर्पः शङ्खपालश् च तावुभौ विश्वावसूग्रसेनौ च वरुणश् च रथस्वनः

Transliteration

elāpatras tathā sarpaḥ śaṅkhapālaś ca tāvubhau viśvāvasūgrasenau ca varuṇaś ca rathasvanaḥ

Translation

同样（被称名者）有：伊拉帕特拉（Elāpatra）、蛇神萨尔帕（Sarpa）与商迦帕罗（Śaṅkhapāla）——此二者；又有毗湿瓦婆苏（Viśvāvasu）与阿格罗塞那（Agrasena）；以及伐楼那（Varuṇa）与车声者（Rathasvana）。此等尊圣之名被列举，令行者以虔敬忆念主宰（Pati）——统御一切众部与秩序的湿婆。

Word by Word

• elāpatraḥ: Elāpatra (a nāga/serpent name)

• tathā: likewise/also

• sarpaḥ: Sarpa (a nāga name

• śaṅkhapālaḥ: Śaṅkhapāla (a nāga name)

• ca: and

• tau-ubhau: those two/both of them

• viśvāvasuḥ: Viśvāvasu (a gandharva name)

• agrasenaḥ: Agrasena (a divine being name)

• ca: and

• varuṇaḥ: Varuṇa (Vedic deity, lord of waters/cosmic order)

• ca: and

• rathasvanaḥ: Rathasvana (a divine being name

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Elapatra
• Sarpa
• Shankhapala
• Vishvavasu
• Agrasena
• Varuna
• Rathasvana
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It functions as an anukīrtana (sacred enumeration): remembering the cosmic beings and orders ultimately reinforces devotion to Śiva as Pati, the Lord of all hosts, which supports focused mind (bhakti-yukta smaraṇa) during liṅga-pūjā.

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

By listing diverse beings—nāgas, gandharvas, and a Vedic deva like Varuṇa—the verse implies Śiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati who encompasses and governs all categories of existence, while the pashu (soul) gains clarity by recollection and reverent orientation toward that supreme order.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Nāma-japa and anukīrtana: reciting and remembering sacred names as a support for concentration and purification—an auxiliary to Pāśupata-oriented worship and meditation centered on the liṅga.