Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 54

मुनिमोहशमनम्

Pāśupata-yoga, Siddhis, Puruṣa-darśana, Saṃsāra, and Prāṇa-Rudra Pañcāhutī

Devanagari script

रक्तभागास् त्रयस्त्रिंशद् रेतोभागाश् चतुर्दश भागतो ऽर्धफलं कृत्वा ततो गर्भो निषिच्यते

Transliteration

raktabhāgās trayastriṃśad retobhāgāś caturdaśa bhāgato 'rdhaphalaṃ kṛtvā tato garbho niṣicyate

Translation

From thirty-three parts of the mother’s blood and fourteen parts of the father’s seed, having made a half-fruit portion by due division, the embryo is then infused and set in place. Thus the embodied paśu enters the course of birth under the governance of Pati (Śiva) and the bonds of pāśa.

Word by Word

• रक्त-भागाः: portions of blood (maternal element)

• त्रयस्त्रिंशत्: thirty-three

• रेतः-भागाः: portions of semen/seed (paternal element)

• चतुर्दश: fourteen

• भागतः: by division/according to portions

• अर्ध-फलम्: half-fruit portion (a half-measure likened to fruit/seed)

• कृत्वा: having made

• ततः: then

• गर्भः: embryo

• निषिच्यते: is poured in/infused/implanted (conception occurs)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames embodiment itself as a governed process under Pati (Śiva); Linga worship then becomes the means for the embodied pashu to purify pāśa (bondage) and turn the life-force toward liberation rather than mere generation.

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

Though the verse speaks in physiological measures, its Shaiva purport is that birth is not random: Shiva-tattva as Pati presides over manifestation, while the soul (pashu) enters embodied existence through karmic bonds (pāśa).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implicitly supports Pāśupata discipline: recognizing the body as a product of compounded elements and bondage, the sādhaka practices purification, mantra, and Linga-oriented worship to transcend identification with the garbha-born body.