Shloka 16

Adhyaya 61 — ग्रह-नक्षत्र-स्थाननिर्णयः

Cosmic Abodes of Luminaries and the Shaiva Order of Time

Devanagari script

अस्मिन्मन्वन्तरे चैव ग्रहा वैमानिकाः स्मृताः विवस्वानदितेः पुत्रः सूर्यो वैवस्वते ऽन्तरे

Transliteration

asminmanvantare caiva grahā vaimānikāḥ smṛtāḥ vivasvānaditeḥ putraḥ sūryo vaivasvate 'ntare

Translation

在此摩奴劫中，诸行星之力（伽罗诃，graha）被忆念为乘空行车的天界神众。于毗婆斯伐多时期，太阳——毗婆斯伐ān，阿底提之子——为日界之主，护持宇宙秩序；而此秩序终究依止于主宰（Pati）——湿婆。

Word by Word

• अस्मिन्: in this

• मन्वन्तरे: Manvantara (epoch of a Manu)

• च एव: and indeed

• ग्रहा: planets/planetary deities (grahas)

• वैमानिकाः: aerial, moving in vimānas

• स्मृताः: are remembered/declared

• विवस्वान्: Vivasvān (Sun-god)

• अदितेः: of Aditi

• पुत्रः: son

• सूर्यः: the Sun

• वैवस्वते: in/pertaining to Vaivasvata (Manu/age)

• अन्तरे: within/during (the period)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana tradition to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Surya (Vivasvan)
• Aditi
• Grahās (planetary deities)
• Vaivasvata Manu

FAQs

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

It situates Linga-oriented Shaiva teaching within cosmic time (Manvantara) and affirms that even the grahas and Surya function within a higher order—ultimately grounded in Pati (Śiva), whom Linga worship approaches as the transcendent support of all regulation.

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

While naming Surya and the grahas, it implies a layered reality: visible cosmic governors operate within time, whereas Shiva-tattva is the supreme Pati beyond the changing Manvantaras, the inner ground enabling order, motion, and governance.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific puja-vidhi is stated, but the takeaway aligns with Shaiva discipline: regulate life in harmony with cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) and turn the pashu inward toward Pati through mantra, worship of the Linga, and steady observance—rather than fear-driven graha fixation.