Shloka 24

ब्रह्माण्डदान-प्रशंसा तथा ब्रह्माण्ड-प्रमाण-वर्णनम्

Praise of the Gift of the Cosmic Egg and Description of the Brahmāṇḍa’s Measure

Devanagari script

उच्छ्रायो द्विगुणश्चैषां सर्वेषां रत्नभूमयः । रत्नवन्तोऽथ प्रासादा भूमयो हेमसंभवाः

Transliteration

ucchrāyo dviguṇaścaiṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ ratnabhūmayaḥ | ratnavanto'tha prāsādā bhūmayo hemasaṃbhavāḥ

Translation

他们的高度加倍；对他们而言，连大地也如宝石般晶莹。宫殿以珠宝庄严，地面由黄金铸成。

Word by Word

• ucchrāyaḥ: height/elevation
• ucchrāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ucchrāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• dviguṇaḥ: twofold/double
• dviguṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Ekavacana (Singular); viśeṣaṇa (adjective) of ucchrāyaḥ

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avadhāraṇa-nipāta (conjunction/particle)

• eṣām: of these
• eṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (pronoun), Puṃliṅga/napuṃsakaliṅga (Masc/Neut), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga/napuṃsakaliṅga (Masc/Neut), Ṣaṣṭhī (Genitive, 6th), Bahuvacana (Plural); viśeṣaṇa of eṣām (emphatic: 'of all')

• ratna-bhūmayaḥ: jewel-grounds/jewel floors
• ratna-bhūmayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural); ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (ratnānāṃ bhūmayaḥ)

• ratna-vantaḥ: possessing jewels
• ratna-vantaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक) + -vant (तद्धित/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural); viśeṣaṇa of prāsādāḥ

• atha: then/also
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; anantaram/krama-bodhaka (sequencing particle)

• prāsādāḥ: palaces
• prāsādāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• bhūmayaḥ: floors/grounds
• bhūmayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• hema-saṃbhavāḥ: made of/produced from gold
• hema-saṃbhavāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hema (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nominative, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural); viśeṣaṇa of prāsādāḥ/bhūmayaḥ by sense; tatpuruṣa: hemasya saṃbhavāḥ ('arising from gold')

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shakti Dimension

Role: creative

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse depicts extraordinary celestial opulence—gem-like ground, jewel-adorned palaces, and golden floors—to indicate the merit-born splendor of higher realms; yet, from a Shaiva Siddhanta lens, such grandeur remains within the sphere of experience and is not equal to liberation, which comes by the grace of Pati (Shiva) and freedom from pasha (bondage).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By portraying magnificent divine settings, the text supports Saguna contemplation—visualizing Shiva’s sacred domain—while implicitly guiding the devotee to seek the Linga’s deeper truth: Shiva as the indwelling Lord whose presence sanctifies all realms, making external splendor secondary to devotion and surrender.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use this imagery for dhyāna (devotional visualization) before Linga-pūjā—mentally offering jewel-like purity and golden steadiness of mind to Shiva—along with steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” as the core practice.