Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 125

अविमुक्तक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य — काशी-वाराणसी में मोक्ष, लिङ्ग-तीर्थ-मानचित्र, और उपासना-विधि

Devanagari script

सर्वपर्वसु पुण्येषु विषुवेष्वयनेषु च पृथिव्यां सर्वतीर्थानि वाराणस्यां तु जाह्नवीम्

Transliteration

sarvaparvasu puṇyeṣu viṣuveṣvayaneṣu ca pṛthivyāṃ sarvatīrthāni vārāṇasyāṃ tu jāhnavīm

Translation

Sa lahat ng banal na pagdiriwang at mga sandaling tagpuan, sa mga equinox at sa mga solstice, naroroon ang lahat ng banal na tīrtha sa daigdig; ngunit sa Vārāṇasī, ang Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) ay higit na lantad at natatangi ang pagpapakita.

Word by Word

• सर्व-पर्वसु: at all sacred junction-days/festivals

• पुण्येषु: on auspicious occasions

• विषुवेषु: at the equinoxes

• अयनेषु: at the solstices/half-year transitions

• च: and

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth

• सर्व-तीर्थानि: all pilgrimage-fords/holy places

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

• तु: but/indeed

• जाह्नवीम्: Jāhnavī, the river Gaṅgā

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Jahnavi (Ganga)
• Varanasi (Kashi)

FAQs

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

It prioritizes sacred timing (parva, equinox, solstice) and sacred place (Kāśī), indicating that Shiva-pūjā and Liṅga-arcana performed there—especially with Gaṅgā as witness—yields concentrated tīrtha-phala (pilgrimage merit).

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

By teaching that all tīrthas can converge through time and place, it implies Shiva as Pati—the all-pervading Lord—who makes the sacred effective; Kāśī functions as a Shaiva kṣetra where liberation-oriented grace is especially accessible to the paśu (bound soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing) in Gaṅgā at Kāśī and Shiva-pūjā at auspicious calendrical junctions (parva, viṣuva, ayana), aligning observance with dharma-kāla for intensified merit and inner purification.