Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 16

सूर्यरश्मिस्वरूपकथनम्

Surya-Rashmi Svarupa Kathana

Devanagari script

उत्तमं मार्गमास्थाय रात्र्यहोभिर् इदं जगत् पार्श्वत ऊर्ध्वम् अधश् चैव तापयत्येष सर्वशः

Transliteration

uttamaṃ mārgamāsthāya rātryahobhir idaṃ jagat pārśvata ūrdhvam adhaś caiva tāpayatyeṣa sarvaśaḥ

Translation

Taking to the highest course and moving through nights and days, this luminary heats the whole world—on the sides, above, and below—pervading every direction. In Shaiva understanding, this ordered “heat” is not mere burning, but the regulated tapas of cosmic law (ṛta), functioning under Pati (Śiva), who governs time and its powers.

Word by Word

• uttamam: higher, excellent

• mārgam: path, course

• āsthāya: having taken refuge in / having adopted

• rātri-ahobhiḥ: by nights and days, through the cycle of night and day

• idam: this

• jagat: world, moving cosmos

• pārśvataḥ: from the sides, laterally

• ūrdhvam: upward, above

• adhaḥ: downward, below

• ca eva: and indeed

• tāpayati: heats, warms, causes to glow

• eṣaḥ: this one (the luminary principle, i.e., the sun/time-power)

• sarvaśaḥ: in every way, on all sides

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Surya
• Kala

FAQs

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

It frames the cosmos as governed by an ordered, all-pervading power (day-night and directional pervasion). In Linga worship, this supports the view that the Linga signifies Pati—Śiva as the regulator of time (kāla) and cosmic energies—so daily pūjā aligns the pashu (soul) with that order.

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

Though the verse speaks of the luminary’s universal heating, Shaiva Siddhanta reads such cosmic functions as śakti operating under Pati. Śiva-tattva is the transcendent governor of kāla and niyati (order), by whose rule the universe is sustained and regulated in all directions.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is daily discipline tied to rātri-ahas (night-day): sandhyā observance, regular japa, and Linga-pūjā performed at fixed times, training the pashu to loosen pāśa (bondage) through steadiness (niyama) and time-aware sādhana consistent with Pāśupata-oriented restraint.