Shloka 10

Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya

Devanagari script

पीत्वा च कृत्रिमं क्षीरं मात्रा दत्तं द्विजोत्तमाः नैतत्क्षीरमिति प्राह मातरं चातिविह्वलः

Transliteration

pītvā ca kṛtrimaṃ kṣīraṃ mātrā dattaṃ dvijottamāḥ naitatkṣīramiti prāha mātaraṃ cātivihvalaḥ

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമാ! അമ്മ നൽകിയ കൃത്രിമ ക്ഷീരം കുടിച്ച ശേഷം അവൻ അത്യന്തം വിഹ്വലനായി അമ്മയോട്, “ഇത് പാൽ അല്ല” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• पीत्वा: having drunk

• च: and

• कृत्रिमम्: artificial, prepared

• क्षीरम्: milk

• मात्रा: by the mother

• दत्तम्: given

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (address to Brahmins)

• न: not

• एतत्: this

• क्षीरम्: milk

• इति: thus

• प्राह: said

• मातरम्: to (his) mother

• च: and

• अतिविह्वलः: extremely agitated/distressed

Speaker

Suta Goswami (outer narrator, contextual attribution within Linga Purana narration)

FAQs

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

Though not a direct linga-puja instruction, the verse highlights viveka—recognizing what is genuine versus counterfeit—which supports the purity of intention (bhava-shuddhi) essential for fruitful Shiva worship.

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

By implication, Shiva-tattva is aligned with satya (truth) and śuddhi (purity): the seeker’s distress at falsity mirrors the pashu’s awakening that turns away from deceptive substitutes toward the real refuge, Pati (Shiva).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is inner discipline: cultivating discrimination and purity—an ethical foundation that supports Pashupata-oriented sadhana and steadiness in worship, even when explicit rites are not described in this line.