Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 33

लिङ्ग-बेर-प्रतिष्ठाविधिः / The Procedure for Installing the Liṅga and the Bera

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Devanagari script

प्रतिलिंगं तु संस्थाप्य क्षीरं वृक्षसमुद्भवम् । स्थितं बुद्ध्वा तदुत्सृज्य लिंगं ब्रह्मशिलोपरि

Transliteration

pratiliṃgaṃ tu saṃsthāpya kṣīraṃ vṛkṣasamudbhavam | sthitaṃ buddhvā tadutsṛjya liṃgaṃ brahmaśilopari

Translation

ਪ੍ਰਤਿਲਿੰਗ ਸਥਾਪਿਤ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਸ ਉੱਤੇ ਰੁੱਖ ਤੋਂ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਖੀਰ-ਰਸ ਅਰਪਣ ਕਰੇ। ਉਹ ਥਿਰ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ ਜਾਣ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਛੱਡ ਕੇ ਬ੍ਰਹਮ-ਸ਼ਿਲਾ ਉੱਤੇ ਲਿੰਗ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਸ਼ਠਾ ਕਰੇ।

Word by Word

• prati-liṅgam: for each liṅga
• prati-liṅgam: Prakāra-adhikaraṇa (प्रकार-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva used adverbially; ‘for each liṅga / per liṅga’ (प्रत्यर्थक)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (विरोध/अन्वयार्थक)

• saṃsthāpya: having स्थापित/placed
• saṃsthāpya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (कृत: ल्यप्), ‘having स्थापित/placed’

• kṣīram: milk
• kṣīram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; object of saṃsthāpya (understood)

• vṛkṣa-samudbhavam: arisen from a tree
• vṛkṣa-samudbhavam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective qualifying kṣīram; तत्पुरुष (vṛkṣāt samudbhavam)

• sthitam: remaining/standing
• sthitam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Accusative, Singular; qualifying kṣīram (‘standing/remaining’)

• buddhvā: having understood
• buddhvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √budh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वा), ‘having known/understood’

• tat: that (milk)
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular; refers to kṣīram (that)

• utsṛjya: having discarded/let go
• utsṛjya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√sṛj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (ल्यप्), ‘having released/abandoned’

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; object (to be placed/kept)

• brahma-śilā-upari: upon the Brahma-rock
• brahma-śilā-upari: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: brahma (प्रातिपदिक) + śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + upari (अव्यय)
• Form: Locative sense via indeclinable upari ‘upon’; brahma-śilā = tatpurusha ‘Brahma’s rock/holy rock’; overall phrase ‘upon the brahma-śilā’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse describes procedural establishment (pratiṣṭhā) of a worship-liṅga on a sanctified base (brahma-śilā), emphasizing correct ritual substitution (pratiliṅga) and stabilization before final placement.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Linga
• Brahma

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It highlights that devotion requires a proper support (ādhāra) for worship: the liṅga is established on a sanctified base (Brahma-śilā), indicating disciplined, stabilized worship that leads the bound soul (paśu) toward Śiva (Pati).

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

The verse shows practical liṅga-upāsanā: using a substitute liṅga and confirming the steadiness of the offering before final placement. In Shaiva Siddhanta, such saguna worship of the liṅga purifies the mind and becomes a doorway to realizing Śiva beyond form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It suggests careful, methodical liṅga-pratiṣṭhā and offering (upacāra) with attention to stability and sanctity of the pedestal; inwardly, it implies making one’s devotion steady before fixing the mind on Śiva through mantra-japa (e.g., the Panchākṣarī).