Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 38
सेवातत्त्वप्रश्नः — The Question of Whom to Serve (Sevā) for the Removal of Suffering
विष्णुर्दत्त्वा च लिंगानि देवेभ्यो हितकाम्यया । पूजाविधिं समाचष्ट ब्रह्मणे मे पिनाकिनः
viṣṇurdattvā ca liṃgāni devebhyo hitakāmyayā | pūjāvidhiṃ samācaṣṭa brahmaṇe me pinākinaḥ
Souhaitant le bien des dieux, Viṣṇu accorda des Liṅgas aux divinités ; et mon Seigneur Pinākin (Śiva, porteur de l’arc Pināka) enseigna à Brahmā la juste méthode du culte.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single Jyotirliṅga; it depicts a salvific economy: Viṣṇu distributes liṅgas for the devas’ welfare, while Śiva (Pinākin) transmits pūjā-vidhi to Brahmā—establishing right worship as a channel of grace.
Significance: Frames liṅga-worship as ‘hita’ (welfare) for the cosmos: proper ritual knowledge (pūjāvidhi) is itself Śiva’s anugraha, enabling devas (and by extension humans) to overcome pāśa (bondage) through regulated devotion.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse presents the Liṅga as Śiva’s accessible, grace-bearing form for the welfare of beings, and it highlights that right worship (vidhi) is transmitted through divine instruction—Śiva guiding Brahmā—so devotion is grounded in revealed discipline, not mere sentiment.
By stating that Liṅgas were given for the gods’ benefit and that Śiva taught the worship-method, it affirms Saguna Śiva worship through the Liṅga as an authorized means to approach the Supreme (Pati) with reverence, purity, and prescribed offerings.
The takeaway is adherence to Śiva’s taught pūjā-vidhi for Liṅga worship—regular, rule-based devotion; in practice this commonly includes mantra-japa (notably the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) alongside disciplined worship of the Liṅga.