Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

आ मस्तकतलाद्यस् तु निमज्जेत्पङ्कसागरे दृष्ट्वा तु तादृशं स्वप्नं सद्य एव न जीवति

Transliteration

ā mastakatalādyas tu nimajjetpaṅkasāgare dṛṣṭvā tu tādṛśaṃ svapnaṃ sadya eva na jīvati

Translation

If one is seen, from the crown of the head downward, sinking into an ocean of mire, then on beholding such a dream that person does not live—death comes at once.

Word by Word

• ā: up to

• mastaka-tala: the top/crown of the head

• ādyas: beginning from

• tu: indeed

• nimajjet: would sink/submerge

• paṅka-sāgare: in an ocean/sea of mud (mire)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen

• tu: indeed

• tādṛśam: such/that kind of

• svapnam: dream

• sadyaḥ: immediately

• eva: certainly

• na: not

• jīvati: lives/survives

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating dream-omens to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames an inauspicious dream as a karmic warning for the pashu (individual soul); the implied Shaiva response is to seek refuge in Pati (Shiva) through Linga-puja, repentance, and purificatory observances to loosen pasha (bondage).

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

Though Shiva is not explicitly described here, the Shaiva Siddhanta lens treats such omens as movements within karma and bondage; Shiva-tattva stands as Pati—transcendent Lord and liberator—beyond the mire of impurity into which the bound soul may sink.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse itself is an omen statement; traditionally, it points toward prayashchitta and Shiva-upasana—Linga-puja, japa of Shiva-mantras, and inner purification aligned with Pashupata discipline to counter tamasic decline symbolized by mud.