Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 124

Devanagari script

ततो महात्मा भगवान् दिव्यरूपम् अचिन्तयत् सलिलेनाप्लुतां भूमिं दृष्ट्वा स तु समन्ततः

Transliteration

tato mahātmā bhagavān divyarūpam acintayat salilenāplutāṃ bhūmiṃ dṛṣṭvā sa tu samantataḥ

Translation

ત્યારે મહાત્મા ભગવાને ચારે તરફથી જળમાં ડૂબેલી ધરતીને જોઈ, એક દિવ્ય રૂપનું ચિંતન કર્યું.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• mahātmā: the great-souled one

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord (Pati, Shiva)

• divya-rūpam: a divine form

• acintayat: contemplated/meditated upon

• salilena: by water

• āplutām: inundated, submerged

• bhūmim: the earth

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen

• saḥ: he

• tu: indeed

• samantataḥ: on all sides, everywhere

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as the transcendent Pati who freely assumes a divine form to restore dharma; Linga worship mirrors this by anchoring the devotee in an unshaken symbol of Shiva even amid pralaya-like instability.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as sovereign and compassionate: seeing the inundated world, He does not become bound by it, but consciously wills a divya-rūpa—revealing mastery over māyā and the power to re-order creation for the sake of paśus.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key practice is contemplative dhyāna (acintayat) on Shiva’s divya-rūpa—aligned with Pāśupata orientation where inner steadiness and remembrance of Pati loosen pāśa (bondage).