Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 119

वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)

Devanagari script

विशालशाखस् ताम्रोष्ठो ह्य् अम्बुजालः सुनिश्चितः कपिलः कलशः स्थूल आयुधश्चैव रोमशः

Transliteration

viśālaśākhas tāmroṣṭho hy ambujālaḥ suniścitaḥ kapilaḥ kalaśaḥ sthūla āyudhaścaiva romaśaḥ

Translation

He whose branches are vast; whose lips are copper-hued; who is the lotus-net that draws beings upward; who is unwaveringly resolute; tawny-hued; the sacred Vessel (Kalaśa) itself; massive in form; bearing weapons; and clothed in hair—such is the Lord Pati, who subdues the pāśa and steadies the paśu by His power.

Word by Word

• विशाल-शाखः: one with vast branches/expansive limbs

• ताम्र-ओष्ठः: copper-lipped, reddish-lipped

• हि: indeed

• अम्बु-जालः: lotus-net / water-born network (lotus imagery)

• सुनिश्चितः: firmly resolved, well-determined

• कपिलः: tawny, brownish, Kapila-like

• कलशः: pot, sacred vessel, consecration jar

• स्थूलः: massive, gross (in manifest aspect)

• आयुधः: weapon-bearing / having weapons

• च एव: and indeed

• रोमशः: hairy, covered with hair

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s names within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

By calling Shiva “kalaśa” (the sacred vessel), the verse links Him to abhiṣeka and consecration: the Linga is worshipped as the very container and source of sanctifying grace that purifies the pashu and loosens pasha.

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

It presents Shiva as both transcendent resolve (suniścitaḥ) and manifest power (sthūla, āyudha): the Pati who can appear with form and force while remaining the unwavering ground of liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Kalasha-abhiṣeka is implied through “kalaśa,” while “suniścitaḥ” points to niścaya (firm inner resolve) central to Pashupata discipline—steadiness of mind directed toward the Pati.