Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya

Devanagari script

हिमवत्पर्वतं प्राप्य वायुभक्षः समाहितः तपसा तस्य विप्रस्य विधूपितमभूज्जगत्

Transliteration

himavatparvataṃ prāpya vāyubhakṣaḥ samāhitaḥ tapasā tasya viprasya vidhūpitamabhūjjagat

Translation

Having reached Mount Himavat, that Brahmin—living only on air and wholly collected in mind—performed such tapas that, by the force of his austerity, the entire world was shaken and stirred. In Shaiva Siddhānta terms, concentrated tapas can make the pāśa-bound cosmos tremble, while the true Pati alone remains unmoved.

Word by Word

• हिमवत्पर्वतम्: Mount Himavat (Himalaya)

• प्राप्य: having reached

• वायुभक्षः: subsisting on air (prāṇa alone)

• समाहितः: composed, deeply concentrated

• तपसा: by austerity/penance

• तस्य: of that

• विप्रस्य: Brahmin/ascetic

• विधूपितम्: shaken, agitated, made to tremble

• अभूत्: became

• जगत्: the world/universe

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Himavat

FAQs

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

It highlights that inner discipline (tapas and samādhi) is a core Shaiva means to approach Shiva; Linga worship is not only external ritual but also the yogic “heat” of focused consciousness offered to Pati.

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

By showing the world can be shaken by a jīva’s tapas, it indirectly points to Shiva as Pati—transcendent, steady, and sovereign—while the cosmos remains within change and agitation under pāśa.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Severe asceticism and breath-based restraint (vāyubhakṣa, prāṇa-sustenance) combined with mental one-pointedness (samāhita), aligning with Pāśupata-style tapas as a purifier of bondage.