Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23

ध्यानयोगेन रुद्रदर्शनम् — रुद्रावतार-परिवर्तक्रमः, लकुली (कायावतार), पाशुपतयोगः, लिङ्गार्चन-निष्ठा

Devanagari script

रुद्रलोकं गमिष्यन्ति पुनरावृत्तिदुर्लभम् चतुर्थे द्वापरे चैव यदा व्यासो ऽङ्गिराः स्मृतः

Transliteration

rudralokaṃ gamiṣyanti punarāvṛttidurlabham caturthe dvāpare caiva yadā vyāso 'ṅgirāḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

They shall go to Rudra’s world—hard to return from again into repeated birth—at that time, in the fourth Dvāpara age, when the Vyāsa is remembered as Aṅgirā.

Word by Word

• रुद्रलोकम्: to Rudra’s realm (Rudraloka)

• गमिष्यन्ति: they will go

• पुनरावृत्ति-दुर्लभम्: where return (to saṃsāra) is difficult/rare

• चतुर्थे: in the fourth

• द्वापरे: Dvāpara-yuga

• च एव: and indeed

• यदा: when

• व्यासः: the Vyāsa (compiler/sage)

• अङ्गिराः: Aṅgirā (name/lineage designation)

• स्मृतः: is remembered/known as

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Shiva)
• Vyasa
• Angiras

FAQs

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

It presents a phala-śruti: steadfast Rudra-bhakti (as cultivated through Linga-centered devotion) culminates in attainment of Rudraloka, a state described as beyond ordinary cycles of return to saṃsāra.

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

By naming Rudraloka as “punarāvṛtti-durlabha,” it implies Shiva as Pati—the Lord who loosens pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (individual soul), granting a transcendental station where rebirth is not the default condition.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes the fruit of Rudra-bhakti rather than a specific rite; in Shaiva framing this is typically supported by Linga-pūjā, japa, and Pāśupata-oriented discipline that turns the paśu toward Pati and away from pāśa.