Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 133

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

प्राक्सर्गे दह्यमाने तु तदा संवर्तकाग्निना तेनाग्निना विशीर्णास्ते पर्वता भूरिविस्तराः

Transliteration

prāksarge dahyamāne tu tadā saṃvartakāgninā tenāgninā viśīrṇāste parvatā bhūrivistarāḥ

Translation

When, before the next creation, the universe was being consumed by the Saṃvartaka fire of dissolution, those mountains—spread vast across the earth—were shattered and reduced by that very blaze.

Word by Word

• prāk-sarge: before (the next) creation

• dahyamāne: while being burned/consumed

• tu: indeed

• tadā: then

• saṃvartaka-agninā: by the Saṃvartaka fire (fire of cosmic dissolution)

• tena agninā: by that fire

• viśīrṇāḥ: broken, shattered, disintegrated

• te: those

• parvatāḥ: mountains

• bhūri-vistarāḥ: of great expanse, widely extended

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Saṃvartaka (Pralaya Fire)
• Bhūmi (Earth)

FAQs

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

It frames all formed reality—even mountains—as perishable in pralaya, directing the devotee toward the Linga as the stable sign of Pati (Shiva) beyond creation and dissolution.

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

By highlighting the Saṃvartaka fire that dissolves the cosmos, the verse implies Shiva-tattva as transcendent: the Lord remains the sovereign ground while names and forms are reduced, reaffirming Pati’s supremacy over sṛṣṭi and pralaya.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A key Pashupata-Yogic takeaway is vairāgya (dispassion): meditating on pralaya and impermanence loosens pasha (bondage) for the pashu (soul), making worship steadier and more inwardly focused.