Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4

सूर्यरश्मिस्वरूपकथनम्

Surya-Rashmi Svarupa Kathana

Devanagari script

महाग्रहो द्विजश्रेष्ठा मन्दगामी शनैश्चरः देवासुरगुरू द्वौ तु भानुमन्तौ महाग्रहौ

Transliteration

mahāgraho dvijaśreṣṭhā mandagāmī śanaiścaraḥ devāsuragurū dvau tu bhānumantau mahāgrahau

Translation

噢，诸婆罗门中最胜者！缓行的沙奈施遮罗（Śanaiścara，土星）为大行星神。又有两位导师——天众之师与阿修罗之师——亦皆为光辉的大行星神。

Word by Word

• mahāgrahaḥ: great planet (major graha)

• dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ: O best among the twice-born (Brāhmaṇas)

• mandagāmī: slow-moving

• śanaiścaraḥ: Śanaiścara (Saturn)

• deva-asura-gurū: the gurus of the Devas and the Asuras (Bṛhaspati and Śukra)

• dvau: two

• tu: indeed/and

• bhānumantau: radiant, luminous (possessing splendor)

• mahāgrahau: two great planets

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shanaiścara (Saturn)
• Bṛhaspati (Guru of Devas)
• Śukra (Guru of Asuras)

FAQs

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

By naming the major grahas (Śani, Bṛhaspati, Śukra), the verse frames planetary forces as part of worldly bondage (pāśa) that devotees seek to transcend or harmonize through devotion to Pati—Śiva—often expressed through Linga worship.

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

Implicitly, it places even powerful cosmic regulators (grahas and their gurus) within the ordered cosmos, pointing to Śiva-tattva as the supreme Pati beyond such forces—He is not a graha-bound entity but the Lord who governs and liberates the pashu from all constraints.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports a Shaiva takeaway: graha-related disturbances are addressed through Śiva-upāsanā—Linga-arcana, mantra-japa, and Pāśupata-oriented discipline—so the pashu is steadied in dharma and loosened from pāśa.