ऋषय ऊचुः । लिंगे प्रतिष्ठा च कथं शिवं हित्वा प्रवर्तिता । तत्कथ्यतां महाभाग परं शुश्रुषतां हि नः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | liṃge pratiṣṭhā ca kathaṃ śivaṃ hitvā pravartitā | tatkathyatāṃ mahābhāga paraṃ śuśruṣatāṃ hi naḥ
Para resi berkata: Bagaimanakah amalan menegakkan (pemujaan melalui) liṅga itu bermula, seolah-olah mengetepikan Śiva dalam wujud-Nya yang langsung? Wahai yang amat berbahagia, jelaskanlah kepada kami—sesungguhnya kami ingin mendengarnya dengan sempurna.
Sages (Ṛṣis)
Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedārakṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Lomaśa (implied respondent in next verse)
Scene: A circle of sages seated in a Himalayan hermitage, respectfully questioning a venerable narrator about the origin of liṅga installation; the mood is earnest and contemplative.
It frames a doctrinal inquiry: why liṅga-worship became the central mode of approaching Śiva.
The question arises in Kedārakhaṇḍa’s pilgrimage setting (Kedāra region), where liṅga worship is especially prominent.
Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation/establishment of the liṅga) is the ritual topic being asked about.