Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
क्षेत्रीौषध्यो यज्ञवाहाश्छन्दांस्यृषिगणाध्वरा: । समुद्रा दक्षिणास्तोभा ऋक्षाणि पितरो ग्रहा:
kṣetrī auṣadhyo yajñavāhāś chandāṁsy ṛṣigaṇādhvarāḥ | samudrā dakṣiṇāstobhā ṛkṣāṇi pitaro grahāḥ ||
婆苏提婆说道:“圣地与疗愈之草药;承载祭祀之人;吠陀韵律与主持仪式的仙人众;大海与作为祭祀酬礼的达克希那(dakṣiṇā);斯托婆赞歌;星宿、祖灵与诸行星——这一切也都摄在我所述的神圣秩序之中。”
वासुदेव उवाच
The verse teaches an all-encompassing vision of dharma: ritual elements (yajña, chandas, stobha, dakṣiṇā), natural supports (fields, herbs, oceans), and cosmic regulators (constellations, ancestors, planets) form a single integrated sacred order. Ethical life therefore includes reverence for tradition, gratitude through right giving, and responsible care for the natural and cosmic rhythms that sustain society.
Vāsudeva is enumerating categories of beings and principles to show the breadth of the divine/cosmic manifestation being discussed. By listing ritual agents, Vedic forms, natural features, and celestial/ancestral powers, he frames the teaching as universal—extending from sacrificial practice to the structure of the cosmos.