Shloka 1
Adhyaya 63: Daksha’s Progeny, Kashyapa’s Offspring, and the Rishi-Vamshas that Sustain the Worlds
इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे भुवनकोशे ध्रुवसंस्थानवर्णनं नाम द्विषष्टितमो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः देवानां दानवानां च गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् उत्पत्तिं ब्रूहि सूताद्य यथाक्रममनुत्तमम्
iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge bhuvanakośe dhruvasaṃsthānavarṇanaṃ nāma dviṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ devānāṃ dānavānāṃ ca gandharvoragarakṣasām utpattiṃ brūhi sūtādya yathākramamanuttamam
Thus, in the Śrī Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa, in the Pūrva-bhāga, within the section on the cosmic spheres (Bhuvanakośa), begins the sixty-third chapter entitled “Description of the Dhruva Abode.” The sages said: “O Sūta, now tell us—supremely and in proper sequence—the origin of the Devas, the Dānavas, the Gandharvas, the Nāgas, and the Rākṣasas.”
Sages (Ṛṣis) addressing Sūta Gosvāmin
FAQs
It frames the cosmological inquiry that ultimately situates all classes of beings within Śiva’s lordship (Pati). In Liṅga-centered devotion, knowing origins is secondary to recognizing that all worlds and beings rest in the supreme principle symbolized by the Liṅga.
Indirectly: by asking for the ordered origins of diverse beings, the text prepares a vision where differences among Deva, Asura, and other species belong to the manifested order, while Śiva-tattva stands as the transcendent ground—Pati—beyond such classifications.
No specific ritual is prescribed in this verse; it functions as a narrative gateway into sṛṣṭi and cosmic order. The implied takeaway for practice is śravaṇa (reverent listening) that supports right knowledge, a foundation for Pāśupata-oriented discipline.