Shloka 1

Adhyaya 34: भस्ममहात्म्यं—अग्नीषोमात्मक-शिवतत्त्वं तथा पाशुपतव्रतप्रशंसा

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे ऋषिवाक्यं नाम त्रयस्त्रिंशो ऽध्यायः श्रीभगवानुवाच एतद्वः सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि कथा सर्वस्वमद्य वै अग्निर्ह्यहं सोमकर्ता सोमश्चाग्निमुपाश्रितः

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge ṛṣivākyaṃ nāma trayastriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ śrībhagavānuvāca etadvaḥ sampravakṣyāmi kathā sarvasvamadya vai agnirhyahaṃ somakartā somaścāgnimupāśritaḥ

Translation

So heißt es im Śrī Liṅga-Mahāpurāṇa, im Pūrva-bhāga, im Abschnitt „Ṛṣivākya“, im dreiunddreißigsten Kapitel. Der erhabene Herr sprach: „Heute werde ich euch diese Erzählung vollständig darlegen, die das Wesen der Lehre ist. Wahrlich, ich bin Agni, der Schöpfer des Soma; und Soma wiederum verweilt, auf Agni gestützt.“

Word by Word

• iti: thus

• śrī-liṅga-mahāpurāṇe: in the auspicious Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa

• pūrva-bhāge: in the earlier section

• ṛṣi-vākyaṃ nāma: named ‘the sages’ statement’

• trayastriṃśaḥ adhyāyaḥ: the thirty-third chapter

• śrī-bhagavān uvāca: the Blessed Lord said

• etat: this

• vaḥ: to you (all)

• sampravakṣyāmi: I shall expound completely

• kathā: the account/narrative

• sarvasvam: the all-essential, the whole substance

• adya: today/now

• vai: indeed

• agniḥ: Agni (fire principle)

• hi: surely

• aham: I

• soma-kartā: maker/producer of Soma

• somaḥ: Soma (nectar/moon/oblation principle)

• ca: and

• agnim: upon Agni

• upāśritaḥ: resorted to, dependent on

Speaker

Śrī Bhagavān (Shiva as the Supreme Pati speaking within the Purāṇic narration)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Agni
• Soma

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva (Pati) as the inner reality behind Vedic powers like Agni and Soma, implying that offerings through Agni and the Soma-principle ultimately culminate in Liṅga-centered worship of the Supreme.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as the one consciousness-power that can speak as multiple cosmic functions—here, as Agni (transformative fire) and as the source of Soma (nourishing, lunar/nectar principle)—showing Pati as the ground of all devatās while remaining transcendent.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights Vedic yajña logic—Agni as the carrier and Soma as the oblation/nectar—reinterpreted Shaivally: the sādhaka should see all ritual energies as dependent on Pati, a key contemplative move aligned with Pāśupata insight (Pati as the support of all).