Shloka 1

Adhyaya 52: सोमाधारः, पुण्योदानदी, मेरुप्रदक्षिणा, जम्बूद्वीपनववर्षवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे एकपञ्चाशत्तमो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच नद्यश् च बहवः प्रोक्ताः सदा बहुजलाः शुभाः सरोवरेभ्यः सम्भूतास् त्व् असंख्याता द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge ekapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca nadyaś ca bahavaḥ proktāḥ sadā bahujalāḥ śubhāḥ sarovarebhyaḥ sambhūtās tv asaṃkhyātā dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Demikianlah, dalam Śrī Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa, bahagian Pūrvabhāga, tamatlah bab kelima puluh satu. Sūta berkata: “Banyak sungai telah disebut—sentiasa berair melimpah dan membawa keberkatan. Terbit daripada tasik-tasik suci, jumlahnya sungguh tidak terbilang, wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija.”

Word by Word

• iti: thus

• śrī-liṅga-mahāpurāṇe: in the auspicious Liṅga Mahāpurāṇa

• pūrva-bhāge: in the first section (Pūrvabhāga)

• ekapañcāśattamaḥ adhyāyaḥ: the fifty-first chapter

• sūta uvāca: Sūta said

• nadyaḥ: rivers

• ca: and

• bahavaḥ: many

• proktāḥ: have been declared/described

• sadā: always

• bahu-jalāḥ: having much water

• śubhāḥ: auspicious/beneficent

• sarovarebhyaḥ: from lakes/ponds

• sambhūtāḥ: arisen/born

• tu: indeed

• asaṃkhyātāḥ: innumerable

• dvija-uttamāḥ: O best among the twice-born (brāhmaṇas).

Speaker

Suta

Characters & Entities

• Suta
• Dwijottama (the sages/brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

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

It frames tīrtha-water as inherently auspicious and abundant, supporting the Shaiva practice of purification (śuddhi) before liṅga-pūjā—using sacred waters to prepare the pashu (soul) to approach Pati (Śiva) by loosening pāśa (impurities/bondage).

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

While Śiva is not named directly, the verse establishes the sanctity of creation’s purifying channels (rivers from sacred lakes), implying a cosmos oriented toward śiva-anugraha (grace): the world contains innumerable means of śuddhi that culminate in approaching the Liṅga, the sign of Pati.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Tīrtha-snāna and ritual purification with sacred water are implied—preparatory observances that support mantra-japa, liṅga-abhiṣeka, and the disciplined purity expected in Pāśupata-oriented sādhana.