Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18

Adhyaya 33: Pashupata Conduct, Bhasma-Vrata, and Shiva’s Boon to the Sages

Devanagari script

सुरचितसुविचित्रकुण्डलाय सुरचितमाल्यविभूषणाय तुभ्यम् मृगपतिवरचर्मवाससे च प्रथितयशसे नमो ऽस्तु शङ्कराय

Transliteration

suracitasuvicitrakuṇḍalāya suracitamālyavibhūṣaṇāya tubhyam mṛgapativaracarmavāsase ca prathitayaśase namo 'stu śaṅkarāya

Translation

हे शंकर! आपको नमस्कार—आपके लिए जो सुगढ़, अति-विचित्र कुण्डलों से विभूषित हैं, सुशोभित मालाओं और आभूषणों से अलंकृत हैं; जो मृगपति के श्रेष्ठ चर्म को वस्त्र रूप में धारण करते हैं, और जिनकी कीर्ति सर्वत्र प्रसिद्ध है।

Word by Word

• suracita: well-crafted, beautifully made

• suvicitra: very wondrous/variegated

• kuṇḍalāya: to (the One) with earrings

• suracita-mālya: well-made garlands

• vibhūṣaṇāya: to (the One) adorned with ornaments

• tubhyam: to You

• mṛga-pati: lord of beasts (lion/tiger, i.e., the foremost beast)

• vara: excellent, noble

• carma: hide/skin

• vāsase: to (the One) whose garment is

• ca: and

• prathita: widely famed

• yaśase: to (the One) whose fame/glory is

• namaḥ astu: let there be salutations

• śaṅkarāya: to Śaṅkara (Śiva, the beneficent)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a traditional Shiva-stuti within the Linga Purana discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It functions as a stuti (praise) that purifies the devotee’s intention before Linga-puja—turning the mind from pasha (bondage) toward Pati (Shiva) through remembrance of His auspicious forms and attributes.

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

Shiva is presented as both transcendent fame (prathita-yaśas) and immanent beauty (ornaments, garlands), indicating the Shaiva Siddhanta balance: the Lord is the supreme Pati yet graciously approachable through form for the uplift of pashus (souls).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Devotional japa and dhyāna through iconographic contemplation: meditating on Shiva’s marks (ornaments, garlands, animal-skin garment) as an aid to steadiness of mind, supporting Pashupata-oriented worship and inner renunciation.