Shloka 1

Adhyaya 71: पुरत्रयवृत्तान्तः—ब्रह्मवरदानम्, मयकृतत्रिपुर-निर्माणम्, विष्णुमाया-धर्मविघ्नः, शिवस्तुति, त्रिपुरदाहोपक्रमः

Devanagari script

इति श्रीलिङ्गमहापुराणे पूर्वभागे सृष्टिविस्तारो नाम सप्ततितमो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः समासाद् विस्तराच्चैव सर्गः प्रोक्तस्त्वया शुभः कथं पशुपतिश्चासीत् पुरं दग्धुं महेश्वरः

Transliteration

iti śrīliṅgamahāpurāṇe pūrvabhāge sṛṣṭivistāro nāma saptatitamo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ samāsād vistarāccaiva sargaḥ proktastvayā śubhaḥ kathaṃ paśupatiścāsīt puraṃ dagdhuṃ maheśvaraḥ

Translation

ఇట్లు శ్రీలింగమహాపురాణ పూర్వభాగములో ‘సృష్టివిస్తారము’ అను ఏకసప్తతితమో అధ్యాయము. ఋషులు పలికిరి—హే శుభమూర్తీ! మీరు సృష్టిని సంక్షేపముగా, విస్తారముగా చెప్పితిరి; ఇప్పుడు పశుపతియైన మహేశ్వరుడు పురము (త్రిపురము) దహించుటకు ఎలా ప్రవర్తించెను?

Word by Word

• iti: thus

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

• pūrva-bhāge: in the former section

• sṛṣṭi-vistāraḥ: expansion of creation

• nāma: named

• saptatitamaḥ: seventy-first

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter

• ṛṣayaḥ ūcuḥ: the sages said

• samāsāt: in brief/summary

• vistarāt: in detail/expansively

• ca eva: and indeed

• sargaḥ: creation/emission (cosmic projection)

• proktaḥ: was taught/declared

• tvayā: by you

• śubhaḥ: auspicious one (address)

• katham: how

• paśupatiḥ: Paśupati (Pati, Lord of paśu—souls)

• ca āsīt: came to be/occurred

• puram: the city/cities (Pura

• dagdhum: to burn

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (Śiva as Supreme Lord).

Speaker

Rishis (Sages of Naimisharanya) addressing Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Pashupati
• Maheshvara
• Rishis

FAQs

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

It frames Śiva as Paśupati—the supreme Pati who governs and liberates paśu (souls) from pāśa (bondage). In Liṅga-worship, this establishes the Liṅga as the sign of that transcendent Lord whose grace and power regulate creation and dissolution.

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

By naming him Maheśvara and Paśupati, the verse points to Śiva-tattva as sovereign Lordship: the one who can both explain cosmic projection (sarga) and enact cosmic dissolution (burning Pura), functioning as ruler over bound beings and their karmic limitations.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it signals a shift toward the Tripura-dahana teaching, often read in Shaiva traditions as an inner Pāśupata-Yoga allegory—burning the ‘three cities’ as the purification of the soul’s triple bonds through Śiva’s grace.