Shloka 36

Adhyaya 59 — सूर्याद्यभिषेककथनम्

Surya and Related Abhisheka/ Cosmological Determinations

Devanagari script

षड्भिः सहस्रैः पूषा तु देवो ऽंशुः सप्तभिस् तथा धाताष्टभिः सहस्रैस्तु नवभिस्तु शतक्रतुः

Transliteration

ṣaḍbhiḥ sahasraiḥ pūṣā tu devo 'ṃśuḥ saptabhis tathā dhātāṣṭabhiḥ sahasraistu navabhistu śatakratuḥ

Translation

普善（Pūṣan）被计为有六千随从；天神安舒（Aṃśu）同样有七千；达特利（Dhātṛ）有八千；而沙塔克拉图（Śatakratu，即因陀罗）有九千。诸天之众由此依次列数。

Word by Word

• ṣaḍbhiḥ: with six

• sahasraiḥ: thousands

• pūṣā: Pūṣan (solar nourisher-deity)

• tu: indeed/and

• devaḥ: the god

• aṃśuḥ: Aṃśu (radiant solar portion)

• saptabhiḥ: with seven

• tathā: likewise

• dhātā: Dhātṛ (the sustainer/ordainer)

• aṣṭabhiḥ: with eight

• sahasraiḥ tu: with thousands indeed

• navabhiḥ: with nine

• tu: and

• śatakratuḥ: Śatakratu (Indra, ‘of a hundred rites’)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Pūṣan
• Aṃśu
• Dhātṛ
• Indra (Śatakratu)

FAQs

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

By listing the numerical strength of major devas and their retinues, the text frames the cosmic hierarchy in which all deities function as limited powers; Linga worship is directed to Shiva as Pati—the transcendent Lord beyond these enumerated hosts.

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

Indirectly: even the greatest devas like Indra are presented as countable and administratively ordered, implying finitude. Shiva-tattva, in Shaiva Siddhanta terms, is the uncounted, supreme Pati who governs and liberates the pashu (souls) from pasha (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi or Pashupata Yoga limb is stated; the takeaway is the cosmological setting used in Purāṇic recitation—supporting devotion (bhakti) and right orientation of worship toward Mahadeva rather than toward limited deva-powers.