Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 31

Aghora-Mantra Japa: Graded Expiations, Pañcagavya Purification, and Homa for Mahāpātaka-Nivṛtti

Devanagari script

कृत्वा विमुच्यते सद्यो जन्मान्तरशतैरपि एतद्रहस्यं कथितम् अघोरेशप्रसंगतः

Transliteration

kṛtvā vimucyate sadyo janmāntaraśatairapi etadrahasyaṃ kathitam aghoreśaprasaṃgataḥ

Translation

આ આચરણ કરવાથી સાધક તત્કાળ મુક્ત થાય છે, ભલે સૈકડો જન્મોના બંધનમાં બંધાયેલો હોય. પશુના પાશને છેદનારા પતિ શ્રીશિવના અઘોરેશ પ્રસંગે આ રહસ્ય ઉપદેશ કહેવાયો છે.

Word by Word

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā): having done/after performing

• विमुच्यते (vimucyate): is released, is liberated

• सद्यः (sadyaḥ): immediately, at once

• जन्मान्तर-शतैः (janmāntara-śataiḥ): by hundreds of other births/lifetimes

• अपि (api): even

• एतत् (etat): this

• रहस्यम् (rahasyam): secret, esoteric doctrine

• कथितम् (kathitam): has been told/declared

• अघोरेश (aghoreśa): Lord Aghora (a form/name of Shiva)

• प्रसंगतः (prasaṅgataḥ): in the course of the topic/contextually

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya; internal teaching attributed to the Aghora context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Aghora

FAQs

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

It asserts that a specific, esoteric Shaiva practice connected with Aghoreśa—typically understood as Linga-centered worship/observance taught as a rahasya—can destroy accumulated bondage and yield immediate moksha.

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

Shiva is implied as Aghoreśa, the Pati: the sovereign Lord whose grace can override the long chain of janmāntaras by severing pasha (bondage) and freeing the pashu (individual soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to a ‘rahasya’ practice in the Aghora context—read in Shaiva terms as a Pashupata-oriented discipline or Linga-upasana whose completion (kṛtvā) leads to swift release.