Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 33
सेवातत्त्वप्रश्नः — The Question of Whom to Serve (Sevā) for the Removal of Suffering
लक्ष्मीश्च स्फाटिकं देवी ह्यादित्यास्ताम्रनिर्मितम् । मौक्तिकं सोमराजो वै वज्रलिंगं विभावसुः
lakṣmīśca sphāṭikaṃ devī hyādityāstāmranirmitam | mauktikaṃ somarājo vai vajraliṃgaṃ vibhāvasuḥ
Nữ thần Lakṣmī gắn với liṅga bằng pha lê; các Ādityas gắn với liṅga đúc bằng đồng; vua Soma quả thật gắn với liṅga bằng ngọc trai; và Vibhāvasu (Agni) gắn với vajra-liṅga. Vì thế, các quyền năng thần linh được liên hệ với những chất liệu riêng trong việc thờ liṅga.
Sūta Gosvāmī (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya, within the Rudra Saṃhitā’s creation discourse)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Shakti Form: Lalitā
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: Linking devatā-powers to specific liṅga-substances (crystal, copper, pearl, vajra) as part of creation-era worship patterns
FAQs
It teaches that the one Lord Śiva, approached through the liṅga, is worshipped via diverse sacred supports (materials), each resonating with particular divine energies—guiding devotees to saguna-upāsanā that steadies mind and devotion toward Śiva, the supreme Pati.
The verse explicitly links specific liṅga-materials with deities, indicating sanctioned, symbol-rich forms of saguna worship. In Śaiva understanding, the material is a support for concentration; the true object is Śiva who receives worship through the liṅga as His manifest emblem.
Choose a liṅga of an appropriate sacred material (e.g., sphāṭika/crystal) and perform regular abhiṣeka and japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—using the material form as a stable focus for dhyāna and bhakti.