Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 20
शब्दब्रह्मतनुवर्णनम् — Description of the Form of Śabda-Brahman
बीजी विभज्य चात्मानं स्वेच्छया तु व्यवस्थितः । अस्य लिंगादभूद्बीजमकारो बीजिनः प्रभोः
bījī vibhajya cātmānaṃ svecchayā tu vyavasthitaḥ | asya liṃgādabhūdbījamakāro bījinaḥ prabhoḥ
الربّ ذو البذرة (بيجي)، بإرادته الحرّة، قسّم ذاته واستقرّ في التجلي. ومن لِنْغَه خرجت البذرة—المقطع «A»—وهي لبذرة الربّ الأعلى، مصدر كلّ البذور.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudrasaṃhitā Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: General liṅga-causality motif: the liṅga as self-manifest sign from which creative potency (bīja) issues; not tied here to a specific jyotirliṅga site.
Mantra: बीजी विभज्य चात्मानं स्वेच्छया तु व्यवस्थितः । अस्य लिंगादभूद्बीजमकारो बीजिनः प्रभोः
Role: creative
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: volitional self-differentiation (svātantrya) initiating manifestation
FAQs
It teaches that manifestation begins not by compulsion but by Śiva’s svātantrya (free divine will). The first “seed” arising from the Liṅga symbolizes the emergence of sacred sound (mantra) as the causal principle guiding creation back toward liberation under Pati (Śiva).
The verse roots creative power in the Liṅga itself—Saguna Śiva as the accessible emblem of the transcendent. Worship of the Liṅga honors Śiva as the source from whom mantra and creation proceed, and through whom they are reabsorbed.
Contemplative japa on the primal sound (beginning with ‘A’ as the seed of mantra) while meditating on the Liṅga as the causal source; practically, this aligns with daily Liṅga-pūjā and mantra-japa (including Panchākṣarī) with steady inward focus.