दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः
यस्तु दारुवने तस्मिंल् लिङ्गी दृष्टो ऽप्यलिङ्गिभिः युष्माभिर् विकृताकारः स एव परमेश्वरः
yastu dāruvane tasmiṃl liṅgī dṛṣṭo 'pyaliṅgibhiḥ yuṣmābhir vikṛtākāraḥ sa eva parameśvaraḥ
Der, der in jenem Daruvana als Träger des Liṅga gesehen wurde—sogar von denen, die den Liṅga verneinen—den ihr in einer befremdlichen, erschütternden Gestalt wahrnahmt: Er allein ist Parameśvara, der höchste Herr, jenseits aller Erscheinungen.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Daruvana episode; internal voice addressing the forest ascetics)
It asserts that the very being mocked or rejected as “liṅgī” in Dāruvana is truly Parameśvara; thus liṅga is not a mere sign but a revelatory mark of Shiva’s supreme reality.
Shiva is identified as Pati (Parameśvara) who may appear in a “vikṛta” (unfamiliar) form to dissolve ignorance; His supremacy is not dependent on outward form but on His essential lordship over pashu and pasha.
The takeaway is the primacy of liṅga-bhāvanā and liṅga-pūjā—training perception to recognize Pati through the liṅga, rather than judging by external appearances—aligned with Pāśupata-style inner transformation.