Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

भस्माङ्गारांश् च केशांश् च नदीं शुष्कां भुजङ्गमान् पश्येद्यो दशरात्रं तु न स जीवति तादृशः

Transliteration

bhasmāṅgārāṃś ca keśāṃś ca nadīṃ śuṣkāṃ bhujaṅgamān paśyedyo daśarātraṃ tu na sa jīvati tādṛśaḥ

Translation

Si quelqu’un voit des cendres et des braises ardentes, des cheveux épars, une rivière desséchée et des serpents durant dix nuits consécutives, un tel être ne poursuit pas sa vie : ce sont des présages de mort.

Word by Word

• भस्म (bhasma): ash

• अङ्गारान् (aṅgārān): embers/charcoal

• च (ca): and

• केशान् (keśān): hair (locks)

• च (ca): and

• नदीम् (nadīm): river

• शुष्काम् (śuṣkām): dried up

• भुजङ्गमान् (bhujaṅgamān): serpents

• पश्येत् (paśyet): should see/sees

• यः (yaḥ): who

• दशरात्रम् (daśa-rātram): for ten nights

• तु (tu): indeed

• न (na): not

• सः (saḥ): he

• जीवति (jīvati): lives/continues to live

• तादृशः (tādṛśaḥ): such a person

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames certain visions as karmic portents (nimitta) and implicitly urges the pashu (individual soul) to take refuge in Pati—Shiva—through linga-bhakti, japa, and śiva-śaraṇāgati when inauspicious signs arise.

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

Shiva-tattva stands as the transcendent Pati beyond changing omens; while prārabdha-karma may manifest as fearful signs, Shiva remains the sovereign refuge who can grant protection, clarity, and liberation from pasha (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Though not naming a single rite, the verse belongs to nimitta-śāstra sections that typically prompt Śiva-pūjā, bhasma-dhāraṇa, mantra-japa (e.g., oṁ namaḥ śivāya), and Pāśupata-style inner turning from fear to disciplined devotion.