Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya
पीत्वा च कृत्रिमं क्षीरं मात्रा दत्तं द्विजोत्तमाः नैतत्क्षीरमिति प्राह मातरं चातिविह्वलः
pītvā ca kṛtrimaṃ kṣīraṃ mātrā dattaṃ dvijottamāḥ naitatkṣīramiti prāha mātaraṃ cātivihvalaḥ
โอผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ทวิชะ เมื่อเขาดื่มน้ำนมที่ทำขึ้นเทียมซึ่งมารดาให้แล้ว ก็เกิดความร้อนรนยิ่งนัก และกล่าวกับมารดาว่า “นี่ไม่ใช่น้ำนม”
Suta Goswami (outer narrator, contextual attribution within Linga Purana narration)
Though not a direct linga-puja instruction, the verse highlights viveka—recognizing what is genuine versus counterfeit—which supports the purity of intention (bhava-shuddhi) essential for fruitful Shiva worship.
By implication, Shiva-tattva is aligned with satya (truth) and śuddhi (purity): the seeker’s distress at falsity mirrors the pashu’s awakening that turns away from deceptive substitutes toward the real refuge, Pati (Shiva).
The takeaway is inner discipline: cultivating discrimination and purity—an ethical foundation that supports Pashupata-oriented sadhana and steadiness in worship, even when explicit rites are not described in this line.