Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 70

Adhyaya 40: Kali-yuga Lakshana, Yuga-sandhyamsha, and the Re-emergence of Dharma

Devanagari script

मधुमांसैर्मूलफलैर् वर्तयन्ति सुदुःखिताः चीरपत्राजिनधरा निष्क्रिया निष्परिग्रहाः

Transliteration

madhumāṃsairmūlaphalair vartayanti suduḥkhitāḥ cīrapatrājinadharā niṣkriyā niṣparigrahāḥ

Translation

Lubhang pinahihirapan, nabubuhay sila sa pulot, karne, mga ugat at mga bunga. Nakasuot ng telang balat-kahoy, mga dahon at balat ng usa, nananatili silang walang gawaing makamundo at walang pag-aari—nagsasagawa ng pag-aayuno at pagninilay upang lumuwag ang tali (pāśa) ng pashu at humarap sa Pati, si Śiva.

Word by Word

• मधु (madhu): honey

• मांसैः (māṁsaiḥ): with meat

• मूलफलैः (mūlaphalaiḥ): with roots and fruits

• वर्तयन्ति (vartayanti): they maintain themselves / subsist

• सुदुःखिताः (suduḥkhitāḥ): greatly distressed / severely afflicted

• चीर (cīra): bark-cloth

• पत्र (patra): leaves

• अजिन (ajina): deerskin

• धराः (dharāḥ): wearers

• निष्क्रियाः (niṣkriyāḥ): without (worldly) activity, inactive in external works

• निष्परिग्रहाः (niṣparigrahāḥ): without possessions, non-possessive

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-centered devotion as grounded in renunciation: simplicity of food, non-possessiveness, and restraint that purify the pashu and make the mind fit for Śiva (Pati).

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the liberating Lord—toward whom austerity is directed, with tapas functioning to weaken pāśa (bondage) so the soul can align with Shiva-tattva.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A tapas-based ascetic discipline aligned with Pāśupata-style vairāgya: minimal sustenance, external simplicity, and niṣparigraha (non-attachment) as practical sādhanā.