Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
Adhyaya 40: Kali-yuga Lakshana, Yuga-sandhyamsha, and the Re-emergence of Dharma
यजन्ते चाश्वमेधेन राजानः शूद्रयोनयः स्त्रीबालगोवधं कृत्वा हत्वा चैव परस्परम्
yajante cāśvamedhena rājānaḥ śūdrayonayaḥ strībālagovadhaṃ kṛtvā hatvā caiva parasparam
Ang mga haring isinilang sa lahing Śūdra ay magsasagawa ng handog na Aśvamedha; subalit matapos pumatay ng kababaihan, mga bata, at mga baka—at magpatayan pa sa isa’t isa—mag-aangkin pa rin silang mga nagsasagawa ng yajña. Sa panahong pagbulusok, napuputol ang panlabas na ritwal sa panloob na dharma na umaakay sa paśu tungo kay Pati, si Śiva.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
FAQs
It contrasts mere outward sacrifice with true dharma; Linga-worship in the Śaiva view requires inner śuddhi (purity), ahiṃsā, and devotion to Pati (Śiva), not ritual performance mixed with adharma.
Implicitly, it points to Śiva as Pati—the moral and liberating principle—showing that actions bound by pasha (violence, delusion, rivalry) do not lead the paśu toward Śiva even if clothed in Vedic forms.
The Aśvamedha is mentioned as an external rite; the takeaway is that without Pāśupata-oriented inner discipline—restraint, compassion, and devotion—ritual becomes spiritually ineffective.