Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23

आभ्यन्तरध्यान-तत्त्वगणना-चतुर्व्यूहयोगः

Adhyaya 28

Devanagari script

चतुर्व्यूहेण मार्गेण विचार्यालोक्य सुव्रत संसारहेतुः संसारो मोक्षहेतुश् च निर्वृतिः

Transliteration

caturvyūheṇa mārgeṇa vicāryālokya suvrata saṃsārahetuḥ saṃsāro mokṣahetuś ca nirvṛtiḥ

Translation

O man of noble vow, having examined and clearly beheld through the fourfold method and path, one understands this: saṃsāra is the cause of bondage, and that same saṃsāra—when rightly discerned—becomes the cause of liberation, culminating in nirvṛti, final quiescence in the Lord.

Word by Word

• चतुर्व्यूहेण: by the fourfold array/method

• मार्गेण: by the path/means

• विचार्य: having reflected/inquired

• आलोक्य: having perceived clearly

• सुव्रत: O one of good vow

• संसार-हेतुः: the cause of worldly bondage

• संसारः: saṃsāra (cycle of embodied existence)

• मोक्ष-हेतुः: the cause/means of liberation

• च: and

• निर्वृतिः: cessation, final peace, liberation (nirvāṇa-like quiescence).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-centered practice as a disciplined path of discernment: the same worldly life that binds the paśu through pāśa can, when approached with right inquiry and Shiva-oriented method, become the means to liberation (nirvṛti).

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

By implying that liberation is not a separate realm but a transformation of vision and causality: when saṃsāra is understood through the proper method, the paśu turns from bondage toward the Lord (Pati), attaining nirvṛti under Shiva’s grace and right knowledge.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pāśupata-style viveka (discriminative inquiry) supported by a structured, fourfold method (caturvyūha)—a disciplined path that converts experience of saṃsāra into a means for mokṣa.