Shloka 24

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

घण्टा सरस्वती देवी धनुषः श्रुतिरूपिणी इषुर्विष्णुर्महातेजाः शल्यं सोमः शरस्य च

Transliteration

ghaṇṭā sarasvatī devī dhanuṣaḥ śrutirūpiṇī iṣurviṣṇurmahātejāḥ śalyaṃ somaḥ śarasya ca

Translation

铃为辩才天女萨拉斯瓦蒂；弓为吠陀圣闻（Śruti）之化身。箭为大威光的毗湿奴；而苏摩（月神）为箭镞，亦为箭杆之精髓。

Word by Word

• ghaṇṭā: bell

• sarasvatī devī: Goddess Sarasvatī (power of sacred speech)

• dhanuṣaḥ: the bow

• śruti-rūpiṇī: having the form of Śruti/Veda

• iṣuḥ: the arrow

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu

• mahā-tejāḥ: of great splendor/power

• śalyam: arrowhead/point (also: the piercing tip)

• somaḥ: Soma/Moon (nectar-principle)

• śarasya: of the arrow/its shaft

• ca: and

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating traditional correspondences within the Linga Purana’s Shaiva frame)

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvati
• Vishnu
• Soma

FAQs

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

It sacralizes ritual and martial emblems as tattvas: the bell becomes Sarasvatī (mantra-śakti), and the bow becomes Śruti, teaching that Linga-pūjā is perfected when sound (nāda), scripture (śruti), and devotion converge toward Pati (Śiva).

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

By mapping deities and Vedic principles onto the implements, the verse implies Śiva-tattva as the integrative ground where diverse powers (śakti), gods, and Vedic revelation function as instruments—while Śiva remains the Pati who directs them for the liberation of the paśu from pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports mantra-centered pūjā: ringing the bell invokes Sarasvatī as vāg-śakti and steadies the mind; contemplating the bow as Śruti aligns practice with Vedic authority—an inner discipline consistent with Pāśupata-oriented worship and contemplation.