Shloka 1

क्षुपदधीचिसंवादः — शिलादतपः, वरसीमा, मेघवाहनकल्पे त्रिदेवसमागमः

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे क्षुपदधीचिसंवादो नाम षट्त्रिंशो ऽध्यायः सनत्कुमार उवाच भवान्कथमनुप्राप्तो महादेवमुमापतिम् श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्सर्वं वक्तुमर्हसि मे प्रभो

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge kṣupadadhīcisaṃvādo nāma ṣaṭtriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ sanatkumāra uvāca bhavānkathamanuprāpto mahādevamumāpatim śrotumicchāmi tatsarvaṃ vaktumarhasi me prabho

Translation

Thus, in the Śrī Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa, in the Pūrva-bhāga, begins the thirty-sixth chapter called “The Dialogue of Kṣupa and Dadhīci.” Sanatkumāra said: “O venerable one, how did you attain the audience and realization of Mahādeva, the Lord of Umā? I long to hear it all—tell me, O master.”

Word by Word

• iti: thus

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

• pūrva-bhāge: in the first section (Pūrva-bhāga)

• kṣupa-dadhīci-saṃvādaḥ: the dialogue between Kṣupa and Dadhīci

• nāma: named/called

• ṣaṭtriṃśaḥ adhyāyaḥ: the thirty-sixth chapter (chapter colophon marker)

• sanatkumāra uvāca: Sanatkumāra said

• bhavān: you (honorific)

• katham: how

• anuprāptaḥ: reached/attained

• mahādevam: Mahādeva (Śiva, the Supreme Lord)

• umāpatim: the consort-lord of Umā (Śiva as Pati)

• śrotum icchāmi: I desire to hear

• tat sarvam: all that

• vaktum arhasi: you are worthy/please speak

• me: to me

• prabho: O lord/master

Speaker

Sanatkumara

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Parvati
• Sanatkumara
• Dadhici
• Kṣupa

FAQs

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

It frames the chapter as a transmission of how one attains Mahādeva (Pati); in Liṅga-worship contexts, such attainment is understood as arising from devotion, purity, and right approach to Śiva through his signs (liṅga) and grace.

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

Śiva is invoked as Mahādeva and Umāpati—supreme Lord inseparable from Śakti—implying Pati-tattva: the sovereign liberator who can be ‘attained’ not as an object, but through grace and right knowledge that loosens Pāśa (bondage) on the Paśu (soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is stated yet; the verse signals an initiatory inquiry typical of Purāṇic and Pāśupata-oriented teaching, where eligibility and the account of approaching Śiva (darśana/realization) precede instructions on worship, vows, or yogic discipline.