Adhyaya 17: लिङ्गोद्भव—ब्रह्मविष्ण्वहङ्कार-शमनं, ओंकार-प्रादुर्भावः, मन्त्र-तत्त्वं च
सूत उवाच एवं संक्षेपतः प्रोक्तः सह्यादीनां समुद्भवः यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि श्रावयेद्वा द्विजोत्तमान्
sūta uvāca evaṃ saṃkṣepataḥ proktaḥ sahyādīnāṃ samudbhavaḥ yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi śrāvayedvā dvijottamān
Disse Sūta: Assim, em resumo, foi declarado o surgimento do Sahya e das demais cadeias de montanhas sagradas. Quem o recitar, o ouvir, ou o fizer ouvir aos melhores dos dvija (os duas-vezes-nascidos), alcança o fruto desta narração santa.
Suta
It establishes śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation) of Shaiva Purāṇic teaching as a meritorious act that prepares the paśu (individual soul) for devotion to Pati (Śiva), which culminates in Linga-centered worship and sanctification.
Indirectly: by praising the power of sacred narration, it implies that Śiva-tattva is approached through revealed teaching (āgama/purāṇa) and disciplined reception—hearing, reciting, and transmitting—by which bondage (pāśa) is thinned and the soul turns toward the Lord.
Purāṇa-śravaṇa and pāṭha as a devotional discipline—listening, reciting, and sponsoring recitation—functions as a preparatory sādhana aligned with Shaiva practice, supporting purity and steady bhakti that can mature into Pāśupata-oriented devotion.