Shloka 2

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

अरुन्धतीं ध्रुवं चैव सोमछायां महापथम् यो न पश्येन्न जीवेत्स नरः संवत्सरात्परम्

Transliteration

arundhatīṃ dhruvaṃ caiva somachāyāṃ mahāpatham yo na paśyenna jīvetsa naraḥ saṃvatsarātparam

Translation

若有人不见阿伦达蒂、北极星（Dhruva）、月之光轨与天之大路（Great Path），此人便不能活过一年。由此，往世书指示宇宙的神圣秩序；如实的观照扶持正法，并使被缚之魂（paśu）安定趋向帕提（Śiva）。

Word by Word

• अरुन्धतीम् (arundhatīm): Arundhatī (the chaste star)

• ध्रुवम् (dhruvam): Dhruva, the Pole Star

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• सोमछायाम् (somachāyām): the Moon’s radiance/track (lunar light, lunar path)

• महापथम् (mahāpatham): the Great Path (celestial highway, Milky Way/sky-route)

• यः (yaḥ): whoever

• न पश्येत् (na paśyet): does not see/does not behold

• न जीवेत् (na jīveta): would not live

• सः नरः (saḥ naraḥ): that man

• संवत्सरात् परम् (saṃvatsarāt param): beyond a year.

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Arundhati
• Dhruva
• Soma

FAQs

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

It frames right perception of cosmic order as a support for dharma; for a Liṅga-upāsaka, such ordered awareness strengthens purity (śuddhi) and steadies the paśu toward Pati, making worship effective rather than merely external.

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

By emphasizing fixed celestial markers (Dhruva, Mahāpātha), it indirectly points to Śiva-tattva as the unwavering ground of order—Pati who remains constant while the paśu, under pāśa (bondage), must learn steadiness and alignment.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A discipline of auspicious observation (maṅgala-darśana) and attentiveness to cosmic rhythms—useful for timing vrata, pūjā, and inner steadiness in Pāśupata-oriented practice, where perception and conduct are purified together.