Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 31

व्यपोहनस्तवनिरूपण-प्रसङ्गे नक्तभोजन-शिवव्रतविधिः (वार्षिक-प्रतिमास-क्रमः)

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठे मासे च देवेशं भवं शर्वमुमापतिम् सम्पूज्य श्रद्धया भक्त्या कृत्वा वै नक्तभोजनम्

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhe māse ca deveśaṃ bhavaṃ śarvamumāpatim sampūjya śraddhayā bhaktyā kṛtvā vai naktabhojanam

Translation

Sa buwan ng Jyeṣṭha, matapos sambahin nang ganap, sa pananampalataya at bhakti, ang Panginoon ng mga diyos—si Bhava, Śarva, ang asawa ni Umā—dapat tuparin ang disiplina ng pagkain lamang sa gabi. Sa ganitong maayos na Shiva-pūjā, ang paśu (kaluluwang nakagapos) ay bumabaling kay Pati (Śiva), at ang pāśa (pagkagapos) ay lumuluwag sa pamamagitan ng bhakti at panata.

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठे मासे: in the month of Jyeṣṭha

• च: and

• देवेशम्: the Lord of the gods

• भवम्: Bhava (a name of Śiva)

• शर्वम्: Śarva (a name of Śiva)

• उमापतिम्: the Lord (husband) of Umā

• सम्पूज्य: having worshipped completely

• श्रद्धया: with faith

• भक्त्या: with devotion

• कृत्वा: having undertaken/doing

• वै: indeed

• नक्तभोजनम्: night-eating (taking food only at night)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating vrata and puja-vidhi to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Uma (Parvati)

FAQs

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

It prescribes a Jyeṣṭha-month observance: worship Śiva (Bhava/Śarva, Umāpati) with śraddhā and bhakti, coupled with naktabhojana, showing that inner discipline and devotion complete the efficacy of Shiva-pūjā.

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

Śiva is praised as Deva-īśa (Lord of the gods) and as Bhava and Śarva—names indicating his sovereign power to sustain and dissolve—while also being Umāpati, revealing Shiva-tattva as inseparable from Śakti in the Linga Purana’s devotional frame.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A vrata discipline is highlighted: naktabhojana (eating only at night) performed alongside focused Shiva-pūjā—an ethical-ascetic restraint that supports devotion and purification.