Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13

Bhūtavana–Kailāsa–Mandākinī–Rudrapurī: Śiva’s Jeweled Abodes and Perpetual Worship

Devanagari script

गृध्रोलूकमुखैश्चान्यैर् मृगोष्ट्राजमुखैरपि प्रमथैर्विविधैः स्थूलैर् गिरिकूटोपमैः शुभैः

Transliteration

gṛdhrolūkamukhaiścānyair mṛgoṣṭrājamukhairapi pramathairvividhaiḥ sthūlair girikūṭopamaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

And there were other Pramathas as well—some with the faces of vultures and owls, others with the faces of deer, camels, and goats—diverse in form, massive-bodied, auspicious, and towering like mountain peaks as they attended the Lord.

Word by Word

• गृध्र (gṛdhra): vulture

• उलूक (ulūka): owl

• मुखैः (mukhaiḥ): with faces

• च (ca): and

• अन्यैः (anyaiḥ): with others

• मृग (mṛga): deer/forest-animal

• उष्ट्र (uṣṭra): camel

• अज (aja): goat

• मुखैः (mukhaiḥ): with faces

• अपि (api): also

• प्रमथैः (pramathaiḥ): by the Pramathas (Shiva’s ganas)

• विविधैः (vividhaiḥ): various, manifold

• स्थूलैः (sthūlaiḥ): huge, corpulent

• गिरिकूटोपमैः (girikūṭopamaiḥ): resembling mountain-peaks

• शुभैः (śubhaiḥ): auspicious, beneficent

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Pramathas

FAQs

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

It frames Mahadeva as Pati (the Lord) attended by powerful, awe-inspiring ganas—reminding the worshipper that Linga-puja addresses the supreme ruler of all beings and forces, not a limited deity.

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

By portraying even fearsome, animal-faced forms as “auspicious,” it points to Shiva-tattva as transcending ordinary dualities (pure/impure, tame/wild), integrating all energies under the Lord’s sovereignty.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative upasana is implied: during Linga-puja or Pashupata-oriented meditation, one visualizes Shiva as Pashupati surrounded by his ganas, cultivating fearlessness, surrender, and steadiness of mind.