Shloka 39
प्रथमं विष्णवे दत्तं शंभुना लिंगसन्मुखे । विष्णुना ब्रह्मणे दत्तं ब्रह्मणा सनकादिषु
prathamaṃ viṣṇave dattaṃ śaṃbhunā liṃgasanmukhe | viṣṇunā brahmaṇe dattaṃ brahmaṇā sanakādiṣu
Mula-mula Śambhu menganugerahkannya kepada Viṣṇu di hadapan Liṅga yang suci. Viṣṇu kemudian menyerahkannya kepada Brahmā, dan Brahmā menyampaikannya kepada Sanaka serta para resi yang lain.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: The verse evokes the Liṅga as the authoritative presence before which Śambhu transmits salvific knowledge/teaching to Viṣṇu, then through Brahmā to the mind-born sages (Sanaka etc.), mirroring the ‘liṅga as axis’ motif found in Liṅgodbhava narratives (endless pillar revealing Śiva’s supremacy).
Significance: Highlights paramparā (transmission) rooted in the Liṅga’s presence: approaching the Liṅga with humility aligns one with the original revelation and its liberating intent.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes a sacred transmission (paramparā) of Shiva-centered knowledge and practice, showing that even cosmic deities receive and pass on Śiva’s grace-based teaching, rooted in the presence of the Liṅga (Saguna Śiva as a support for realization).
The gift is given “before the Liṅga,” indicating that the Liṅga is not merely symbolic but a consecrated locus of Śiva’s accessible presence; devotion and instruction are authenticated through proximity to the Liṅga and carried forward through realized teachers.
Follow the received tradition: approach the Liṅga with reverence, receive mantra/teaching from a qualified lineage, and practice steady japa (e.g., Panchākṣarī—Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Liṅga-pūjā as the devotional support.