Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 134

ध्यानयज्ञः, संसार-विष-निरूपणम्, पाशुपतयोगः, परा-अपरा विद्या, चतुर्वस्था-विचारः (अध्यायः ८६)

Devanagari script

रूपं वाह्नेयमित्युक्तम् आप्यं रसमयं द्विजाः गन्धाख्यं पार्थिवं भूयश् चिन्तयेद्भास्करं क्रमात्

Transliteration

rūpaṃ vāhneyamityuktam āpyaṃ rasamayaṃ dvijāḥ gandhākhyaṃ pārthivaṃ bhūyaś cintayedbhāskaraṃ kramāt

Translation

Người ta nói rằng “sắc” (rūpa) thuộc về lửa; “vị” (rasa) thuộc về nước; và “hương” (gandha) được gọi là thuộc về đất. Hỡi các bậc nhị sinh, rồi theo thứ lớp hãy quán tưởng Mặt Trời (Bhāskara), để nhờ các đại chủng mà gạn lọc tri giác trong sự thờ phụng Liṅga và kỷ luật nội tâm.

Word by Word

• रूपम्: form/visible quality

• वाह्नेयम्: belonging to Agni (fire)

• इति: thus

• उक्तम्: is declared/said

• आप्यम्: belonging to Āpas (waters)

• रसमयम्: consisting of taste/essence of rasa

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brāhmaṇas)

• गन्धाख्यम्: named/characterized as fragrance

• पार्थिवम्: belonging to earth

• भूयः: again/further/thereafter

• चिन्तयेत्: one should contemplate/meditate upon

• भास्करम्: the Sun (Bhāskara)

• क्रमात्: in order/step-by-step

Speaker

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

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Surya (Bhaskara)

FAQs

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

It prescribes a step-by-step contemplative method (bhūta-dhyāna) that aligns sensory qualities with their elements, helping the worshipper purify perception before or during Linga-upāsanā.

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

By mapping form, taste, and fragrance to the elements and then directing contemplation beyond them (toward Bhāskara as an ordered focus), it implies Shiva as Pati—transcendent to the elemental field that binds the pashu through pasha, yet approachable through disciplined inner ascent.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Bhūta-śuddhi/bhūta-dhyāna within a Pāśupata-oriented discipline: purifying the senses by contemplating the elements and their qualities in a fixed sequence as preparation for deeper Shiva-realization.