Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 177

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

असृष्ट्वैव प्रजासर्गं प्रतिसर्गं गताः पुनः ततस्तेषु व्यतीतेषु ततो ऽन्यान् साधकान् सुतान्

Transliteration

asṛṣṭvaiva prajāsargaṃ pratisargaṃ gatāḥ punaḥ tatasteṣu vyatīteṣu tato 'nyān sādhakān sutān

Translation

Sans même produire la création des êtres, ils entrèrent de nouveau dans le cycle de dissolution et de recréation. Lorsque ces cycles furent passés, alors il engendra d’autres fils — des sādhaka accomplis — aptes à l’œuvre de la manifestation.

Word by Word

• asṛṣṭvā eva: without creating at all

• prajā-sargam: the generation/creation of progeny and beings

• pratisargam: re-creation after dissolution (cosmic reset)

• gatāḥ punaḥ: went/returned again

• tataḥ: thereafter

• teṣu: in those (cycles/periods)

• vyatīteṣu: when they had elapsed/passed

• tataḥ anyān: then others

• sādhakān: accomplished practitioners/adepts

• sutān: sons/emanated progeny

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological account to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-worship within vast cycles of sarga and pratisarga, implying the Linga (as Shiva’s timeless mark) remains the stable spiritual axis even when worlds are not produced or are reabsorbed.

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

By highlighting repeated dissolution and re-creation, the verse points to Shiva-tattva as the transcendent Pati—unbound by pasha and prior to manifest sarga—while empowered agents (sādhakas) carry out manifestation within time.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The term sādhakān suggests Pashupata-aligned disciplined practitioners: inner sadhana (yoga, mantra, and restraint) that makes a being fit to participate in dharmic manifestation rather than being driven by bondage (pasha).