Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

सोमवर्णनम्

Graha–Ratha–Aśva Varṇana, Dhruva-Nibaddha Gati, Maṇḍala-Pramāṇa, Graha-Arcana

Devanagari script

तेभ्यो ऽधस्तात्तु चत्वारः पुनरन्ये महाग्रहाः सूर्यः सोमो बुधश्चैव भार्गवश्चैव शीघ्रगाः

Transliteration

tebhyo 'dhastāttu catvāraḥ punaranye mahāgrahāḥ sūryaḥ somo budhaścaiva bhārgavaścaiva śīghragāḥ

Translation

在其下又有四大行星，运行迅疾：日、月、布陀（即水星）与婆罗伽婆（即金星）。它们依次而行，承持宇宙之节律，皆在湿婆之圣令中；由此，被缚之众生（paśu）在系缚（pāśa）之下经历时间及其果报。

Word by Word

• tebhyaḥ: from/than those

• adhastāt: below

• tu: indeed

• catvāraḥ: four

• punaḥ: again/further

• anye: other

• mahā-grahāḥ: great ग्रहs/planets

• sūryaḥ: the Sun

• somaḥ: the Moon

• budhaḥ: Mercury

• ca eva: and indeed

• bhārgavaḥ: Bhārgava (Venus, of the lineage of Bhṛgu)

• ca eva: and indeed

• śīghra-gāḥ: swift-moving

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Surya
• Soma
• Budha
• Bhargava (Shukra)
• Shiva

FAQs

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

By listing the swift-moving grahas, the verse places time and karmic rhythm within Śiva’s cosmic administration—reminding the devotee that Linga-pūjā aims at rising beyond time-bound bondage (pāśa) toward the Lord (Pati).

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

Though not naming Śiva directly as the mover, the ordered hierarchy of planetary motion implies a higher regulator: Shiva-tattva as Pati, the transcendent governor of kāla and niyati, within which the paśu undergoes experience.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is contemplative: meditate on kāla (time) as governed by Pati, and use Shiva-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented detachment to loosen graha-linked karmic conditioning rather than being ruled by it.