Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 114

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

अतीतानि च कल्पानि सोदर्काणि सहान्वयैः अनागतेषु तद्वच्च तर्कः कार्यो विजानता

Transliteration

atītāni ca kalpāni sodarkāṇi sahānvayaiḥ anāgateṣu tadvacca tarkaḥ kāryo vijānatā

Translation

Người có tri kiến nên quán xét với sự phân minh về các kalpa đã qua—cùng trật tự nối tiếp, kết quả và dòng truyền thừa của chúng—và cũng đem cùng một lẽ suy ấy áp dụng cho các kalpa chưa đến.

Word by Word

• atītāni: those that have passed

• ca: and

• kalpāni: kalpas (cosmic aeons)

• sa-udarkāṇi (sodarkāṇi): together with their results/outcomes

• saha-anvayaiḥ: along with their continuities, connections, and lineal successions

• anāgateṣu: in those yet to come (future kalpas)

• tadvac: in the same manner

• ca: also

• tarkaḥ: reasoning, reflective inquiry, discernment

• kāryaḥ: should be done/undertaken

• vijānatā: by one who knows, by the discerning person.

Speaker

Suta Goswami

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-worship as grounded in jñāna and viveka: by understanding repeating kalpa-cycles and their outcomes, the devotee recognizes the Linga (Pati) as timeless while all manifested orders change.

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

By urging reasoning across past and future kalpas, it implies that Shiva-tattva (Pati) is constant beyond cyclical creation and dissolution, while the pashu-world and its lineages are contingent and recurring.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights tarka-based viveka as a yogic discipline—supporting Pāśupata-style detachment from pasha (bondage) by seeing the patterned impermanence of kalpas and turning the mind toward the unchanging Lord.