Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च
सूत उवाच एवं संक्षेपतः प्रोक्तः सह्यादीनां समुद्भवः यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि श्रावयेद्वा द्विजोत्तमान्
sūta uvāca evaṃ saṃkṣepataḥ proktaḥ sahyādīnāṃ samudbhavaḥ yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi śrāvayedvā dvijottamān
Sūta dit : Ainsi, brièvement, a été proclamée l’origine du Sahya et des autres chaînes de montagnes sacrées. Quiconque le récite, l’entend, ou le fait entendre aux meilleurs des dvija (les « deux-fois-nés »), reçoit le fruit de ce récit sacré.
Suta
It establishes śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation) of Shaiva Purāṇic teaching as a meritorious act that prepares the paśu (individual soul) for devotion to Pati (Śiva), which culminates in Linga-centered worship and sanctification.
Indirectly: by praising the power of sacred narration, it implies that Śiva-tattva is approached through revealed teaching (āgama/purāṇa) and disciplined reception—hearing, reciting, and transmitting—by which bondage (pāśa) is thinned and the soul turns toward the Lord.
Purāṇa-śravaṇa and pāṭha as a devotional discipline—listening, reciting, and sponsoring recitation—functions as a preparatory sādhana aligned with Shaiva practice, supporting purity and steady bhakti that can mature into Pāśupata-oriented devotion.