Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24

योगान्तरायाः, औपसर्गिकसिद्धयः, परवैराग्येन शैवप्रसादः

Devanagari script

याक्षे तु तैजसं प्रोक्तं गान्धर्वे श्वसनात्मकम् ऐन्द्रे व्योमात्मकं सर्वं सौम्ये चैव तु मानसम्

Transliteration

yākṣe tu taijasaṃ proktaṃ gāndharve śvasanātmakam aindre vyomātmakaṃ sarvaṃ saumye caiva tu mānasam

Translation

Sa kaayusang Yakṣa, ipinahahayag na ito’y may likas na apoy (tejas); sa kaayusang Gandharva, ito’y likas na hininga at hangin. Sa kaayusang Aindra (kaugnay ni Indra), ang lahat ay likas na kalawakan (ākāśa); at sa kaayusang Saumya (kaugnay ni Soma), ito’y tunay na may katangiang pang-isip. Kaya ang pashu na may katawan ay nakikitang hinubog ng mga elemento at maseselang kapangyarihan, samantalang ang Pati—si Śiva—ay nananatiling Panginoong lampas sa mga sangkap na ito.

Word by Word

• yākṣe: in the Yakṣa (class/order)

• tu: indeed/and

• taijasam: fiery, of tejas

• proktam: is said/declared

• gāndharve: in the Gandharva (class/order)

• śvasana-ātmakam: of the nature of breathing/wind (prāṇa-vāyu)

• aindre: in the Aindra (Indra-related) order

• vyoma-ātmakam: of the nature of space/ether

• sarvam: all/everything

• saumye: in the Saumya (Soma-related) order

• ca eva: and indeed

• tu: also

• mānasam: mental, of mind (manas).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Soma

FAQs

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

It frames beings as composed of elemental and subtle powers (tejas, vāyu/prāṇa, ākāśa, manas), helping the worshipper see the Liṅga as the sign of Pati (Śiva) who transcends these constituents and grants liberation from pasha (bondage).

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

By contrasting the changing elemental/mental constitutions of created orders with the implied transcendent ground, it supports Śiva-tattva as Pati—beyond bhūtas and antaḥkaraṇa—while still pervading them as their inner ruler.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implicitly supports Pāśupata-Yoga contemplation: observing prāṇa (breath), manas (mind), and the bhūtas as mutable layers of the pashu, then fixing awareness on Śiva as the unbound Pati represented by the Liṅga.