Shloka 118
Vyāsotpatti-kathana
Account of the Birth/Origin of Vyāsa
इत्युक्त्वा स महादेवो बालो लिंगे न्यलीयत । व्यासोऽपि मुंचन्नश्रूणि शिवप्रेमाकुलोऽभवत्
ityuktvā sa mahādevo bālo liṃge nyalīyata | vyāso'pi muṃcannaśrūṇi śivapremākulo'bhavat
Having spoken thus, that Mahādeva—appearing as a child—merged into the Liṅga. Vyāsa too, shedding tears, became overwhelmed with love for Śiva.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
FAQs
It shows that Śiva, though manifest in a saguna form (as a child), is ultimately non-different from the Liṅga-tattva; the devotee’s heart (Vyāsa) responds with pure bhakti, which becomes a direct means to Śiva’s grace and liberation.
The verse explicitly unites the personal manifestation of Śiva with the Liṅga as His sacred, worshipful presence—teaching that saguna darśana culminates in absorption into the Liṅga, the stable focus for devotion and realization.
Linga-upāsanā with heartfelt surrender—such as japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady contemplation of Śiva in the Liṅga—cultivating devotion so intense that the mind naturally becomes one-pointed.