Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 6
लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठा-माहात्म्यम् / The Greatness of Liṅga Installation
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । किमिदं लिंगमाख्यातं कथं लिंगी महेश्वरः । कथं च लिंगभावो ऽस्य कस्मादस्मिञ्छिवो ऽर्च्यते
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | kimidaṃ liṃgamākhyātaṃ kathaṃ liṃgī maheśvaraḥ | kathaṃ ca liṃgabhāvo 'sya kasmādasmiñchivo 'rcyate
พระศรีกฤษณะตรัสว่า “สิ่งที่เรียกว่า ‘ลึงค์’ นี้คืออะไร? เหตุใดพระมหेशวรจึงได้พระนามว่า ‘ลึงคี’ ผู้ทรงลึงค์? ภาวะแห่งความเป็นลึงค์ของพระองค์เป็นอย่างไร? และด้วยเหตุใดพระศิวะจึงได้รับการบูชาในลึงค์นี้?”
Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: A doctrinal inquiry by Kṛṣṇa: what is the liṅga, why is Śiva ‘liṅgī’, what is liṅga-bhāva, and why is Śiva worshipped in the liṅga. This frames the liṅga as a revealed symbol that both conceals and discloses the transcendent—setting up the teaching that follows.
Significance: Encourages reflective understanding (jijñāsā) as part of devotion: correct knowledge of liṅga’s meaning deepens worship and aligns the soul toward grace.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse frames the core Shaiva inquiry: the Liṅga is not a mere object but the sacred sign through which the transcendent Pati (Śiva) becomes worship-accessible, inviting a philosophical understanding of how the formless is approached through a form.
Kṛṣṇa asks why Śiva is worshipped ‘in the Liṅga,’ pointing to Saguna-upāsanā: devotees approach the supreme Śiva through the Liṅga as a sanctioned, concentrated support (ālambana) for devotion and contemplation, while recognizing Śiva’s transcendence beyond all marks.
The verse suggests inquiry leading to practice: worship of the Śiva-Liṅga with mantra-japa (especially the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and steady dhyāna on Śiva as Pati, using the Liṅga as the meditative support.