Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya
क्षीरं तत्र कुतो ऽस्माकं महादेवो न पूजितः पूर्वजन्मनि यद्दत्तं शिवमुद्यम्य वै सुत
kṣīraṃ tatra kuto 'smākaṃ mahādevo na pūjitaḥ pūrvajanmani yaddattaṃ śivamudyamya vai suta
“Dear son, how could there be milk for us there, when in a former birth Mahādeva was not worshipped? Whatever was given then—only by taking up Śiva as the true refuge and striving with resolute effort, O son—does it bear auspicious fruit.”
Suta (narrating; verse contains an internal address 'O son')
FAQs
It frames Shiva-puja as the root cause of auspicious sustenance and wellbeing; without honoring Mahadeva, even basic nourishment (symbolized by milk) is portrayed as unattainable or unstable.
Shiva is implied as Pati—the decisive refuge and giver of auspicious fruition—whose worship aligns the pashu (individual soul) away from pasha (bondage) and toward right karmic outcome.
The takeaway is Shiva-puja and purposeful striving (udyama) toward Shiva—supported by dana (right giving)—as a practical discipline consistent with Shaiva sadhana rather than mere worldly effort.