Shloka 189
Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्
समानजो वसिष्ठश् च अपानान्निर्ममे क्रतुम् इत्येते ब्रह्मणः पुत्रा दिव्या एकादशा स्मृताः
samānajo vasiṣṭhaś ca apānānnirmame kratum ityete brahmaṇaḥ putrā divyā ekādaśā smṛtāḥ
From Samānaja he brought forth Vasiṣṭha, and from the downward-breath (apāna) he fashioned Kratu—thus these are remembered as the eleven divine sons of Brahmā. In the Śaiva vision, such creators act only as empowered agents within Pati’s (Śiva’s) cosmic order, while the bound souls (paśu) remain under pāśa until grace arises.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s creation account to the sages of Naimisharanya)
FAQs
It situates creation within a graded hierarchy: Brahmā’s progeny administer manifestation, while the Linga tradition ultimately points beyond secondary creators to Pati (Śiva) as the supreme ground, the one worshipped for liberation.
By listing Brahmā’s ‘divine sons’ as agents of creation, it implies Shiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati who is not merely another progenitor but the sovereign principle under whose order such creative functions operate.
No direct puja-vidhi is stated; the verse supports a contemplative takeaway used in Pāśupata-oriented reflection: discern the difference between instrumental creators and the supreme Pati, the true refuge sought through Linga-puja and inner yoga.