Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 95

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

उदारकीर्तिर् उद्योगी सद्योगी सदसन्मयः नक्षत्रमाली राकेशः साधिष्ठानः षडाश्रयः

Transliteration

udārakīrtir udyogī sadyogī sadasanmayaḥ nakṣatramālī rākeśaḥ sādhiṣṭhānaḥ ṣaḍāśrayaḥ

Translation

He whose fame is vast and exalted; the ever-active One; the perfect Yogi; He who pervades both being and non-being. Garlanded with the stars; Lord of the night, the Moon; firmly established as the inner foundation; and the refuge of the sixfold paths of existence.

Word by Word

• उदार-कीर्तिः: of noble and expansive fame

• उद्योगी: ever-energetic, ceaselessly engaged (in cosmic action)

• सद्-योगी: the true/perfect Yogi

• सत्-असत्-मयः: constituted of/pervading both the real (sat) and the unreal/manifest-unmanifest (asat)

• नक्षत्र-माली: one garlanded with the constellations/stars

• राकेशः: lord of the full-moon night, i.e., the Moon-lord (associated with Shiva)

• साधिष्ठानः: firmly established as the support/base (adhiṣṭhāna) of all

• षड्-आश्रयः: the refuge/support of six abodes/paths (sixfold conditioned states).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (reciting Shiva’s names to the Sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

These epithets frame Shiva as the adhiṣṭhāna (inner foundation) and āśraya (refuge) of all existence, guiding the devotee to worship the Linga not as a mere symbol but as Pati—the supreme ground supporting all beings (paśus) and their worlds.

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

It presents Shiva as simultaneously immanent and transcendent: pervading sat and asat (manifest and unmanifest), yet remaining the perfect Yogi—unbound by pāśa (bondage) while sustaining the cosmos through divine agency.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The stress on “sadyogī” points to Pāśupata-oriented yoga: steadiness in the inner support (adhiṣṭhāna) through japa of Shiva-nāma, meditation on Shiva as the refuge of all states, and offering worship to the Linga with the intent of loosening pāśas that bind the paśu.