Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 99

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

Devanagari script

सर्वज्ञः सर्वविज्ञानात् सर्वः सर्वमयो यतः त्रिधा विभज्य चात्मानं त्रैलोक्यं सम्प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

sarvajñaḥ sarvavijñānāt sarvaḥ sarvamayo yataḥ tridhā vibhajya cātmānaṃ trailokyaṃ sampravartate

Translation

Because He is omniscient through all knowledge, and because He is the All—pervading and formed of everything—He divides His own Self into three and thereby sets the three worlds into orderly motion and function.

Word by Word

• सर्वज्ञः: omniscient

• सर्वविज्ञानात्: through complete knowledge / by virtue of all cognition

• सर्वः: the All / the universal Lord

• सर्वमयः: constituted of all / pervading all as their inner essence

• यतः: since / because

• त्रिधा: in three ways

• विभज्य: having divided / having differentiated

• च: and

• आत्मानम्: His own Self

• त्रैलोक्यम्: the three worlds (heaven, mid-region, earth)

• सम्प्रवर्तते: causes to proceed / sets into operation / sustains the cosmic activity

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Shaiva cosmological doctrine to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It grounds Linga worship in tattva: the Linga signifies Shiva as the all-pervading Pati who, by His own power, differentiates cosmic functions and sustains the three worlds—so worship is directed to the single source behind all manifestation.

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

Shiva is presented as sarvajña (omniscient) and sarvamaya (immanent in all). The triadic division indicates His sovereign capacity to manifest differentiated functions without losing non-dual fullness—Pati remaining one while governing multiplicity.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A core Pashupata-Yogic takeaway is jñāna-darśana: meditating on Shiva as the inner Self of all (sarvamaya) and as the controller of the threefold cosmic process, which supports steady bhakti, mantra-japa, and Linga-dhyāna aimed at loosening pāśa (bondage) for the paśu (soul).