Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 163

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

अहो विचित्रं तव देवदेव विचेष्टितं सर्वसुरासुरेश देहीव देवैः सह देवकार्यं करिष्यसे निर्गुणरूपतत्त्व

Transliteration

aho vicitraṃ tava devadeva viceṣṭitaṃ sarvasurāsureśa dehīva devaiḥ saha devakāryaṃ kariṣyase nirguṇarūpatattva

Translation

Kay kamangha-mangha ang Iyong pagkilos, O Devadeva, Panginoon ng lahat ng deva at asura! Bagaman Ikaw ang Katotohanang lampas sa mga guṇa, tatanggap Ka pa rin ng katawang-anyo at, kasama ng mga diyos, tutuparin ang gawain ng mga deva.

Word by Word

• aho: indeed, ah!

• vicitram: wondrous, astonishing

• tava: of you, your

• devadeva: O God of gods

• viceṣṭitam: activity, conduct, deliberate play (līlā-like action)

• sarva-sura-asura-īśa: Lord of all gods and demons

• dehī iva: as if embodied, as though possessing a body

• devaiḥ saha: together with the gods

• deva-kāryam: the divine task, the work for the devas (cosmic administration/dharma-protection)

• kariṣyase: you will do, you will accomplish

• nirguṇa-rūpa-tattva: the Reality whose essential nature/form is beyond the three guṇas (nirguṇa Śiva-tattva).

Speaker

Devas (addressing Shiva, within Suta’s narration)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Devas
• Asuras

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as the sign of the nirguṇa Pati who, out of grace, becomes accessible in form—so worship addresses both the transcendent Shiva-tattva and His manifested presence for dharma.

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

Shiva is affirmed as nirguṇa (beyond prakṛti’s guṇas) yet free to appear as if embodied; this highlights His sovereignty over māyā and His compassionate engagement with pashus bound by pāśas.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implies upāsanā of the nirguṇa through a saguna support—classically realized as Linga-pūjā and Pāśupata-oriented devotion where the Lord’s grace enables liberation while He also sustains cosmic order.