Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 61

एकार्णव-सृष्टिक्रमः, ब्रह्म-विष्णु-परस्परप्रवेशः, शिवस्य आगमनं च

Devanagari script

मेण्ढ्रेणोर्ध्वेन महता नर्दमानो ऽतिभैरवम् कः खल्वेष पुमान् विष्णो तेजोराशिर् महाद्युतिः

Transliteration

meṇḍhreṇordhvena mahatā nardamāno 'tibhairavam kaḥ khalveṣa pumān viṣṇo tejorāśir mahādyutiḥ

Translation

अत्यन्त भयानक गर्जना करते हुए, अपनी महान ऊर्ध्वस्थ वीर्य-शक्ति के साथ, विष्णु बोले—“यह पुरुष कौन है? यह तो तेज का पुंज, महा-प्रभा से दीप्त है!”

Word by Word

• meṇḍhreṇa: with the virile organ/potency

• ūrdhvena: raised upward, elevated

• mahatā: great, mighty

• nardamānaḥ: roaring, bellowing

• ati-bhairavam: exceedingly terrifying

• kaḥ: who?

• khalu: indeed, surely

• eṣaḥ: this

• pumān: Person, male being (Puruṣa)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu

• tejo-rāśiḥ: heap/mass of divine light

• mahā-dyutiḥ: of great radiance

Speaker

Suta (narrating); internal exclamation attributed to Vishnu within the Linga-manifestation episode

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as a manifestation of overwhelming tejas (divine luminosity) that even Viṣṇu confronts with awe—supporting Linga-pūjā as worship of the transcendent Pati appearing as the jyotir-linga.

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

By calling the presence a “tejorāśi” (mass of splendor) and “mahādyuti” (immense radiance), the verse points to Shiva-tattva as self-luminous, beyond ordinary form—knowable through revelation rather than mere intellectual grasp.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The immediate takeaway is contemplative upāsanā on Shiva as jyoti (inner and outer light): a Pāśupata-oriented recognition that the pashu (individual soul) must turn from fear and ego toward surrender to the Pati revealed as pure tejas.