Shloka 37
Pārthiva-Śiva-liṅga Saṃkhyā-vidhāna
Enumeration and Procedure of Earthen Liṅga Worship
नागाः शेषप्रभृतयो गरुडाद्याःखगास्तथा । सप्रजापतयश्चान्ये मनवः किन्नरा नराः
nāgāḥ śeṣaprabhṛtayo garuḍādyāḥkhagāstathā | saprajāpatayaścānye manavaḥ kinnarā narāḥ
The Nāgas—beginning with Śeṣa—along with the birds headed by Garuḍa; the Prajāpatis and other progenitors; the Manus, the Kinnaras, and human beings—all are included there.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Continuation of the universal assembly motif: nāgas (Śeṣa), Garuḍa and birds, Prajāpatis, Manus, Kinnaras, humans—signaling that liṅga-centered devotion spans subterranean, terrestrial, and celestial orders.
Significance: Reinforces the liṅga as a pan-cosmic point of convergence; all beings are within Śiva’s protective-preservative order (sthiti).
FAQs
It emphasizes Shiva’s universal lordship (Pati): all orders of beings—celestial, semi-divine, and human—are drawn to the sacred presence of Shiva, showing that bhakti is not limited by birth or species.
By listing diverse beings gathered in reverence, the verse supports the Purāṇic theme that Saguna Shiva—often approached through the Linga—becomes an accessible focus of devotion for the entire cosmos.
The takeaway is inclusive Shiva-bhakti: join communal worship with Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and simple offerings to the Linga, cultivating reverence that transcends social or ontological divisions.