Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18

अध्याय १०१: हैमवती-तपः, तारकवंश-उत्पातः, स्कन्द-प्रत्याशा, मदनदहनम्

Devanagari script

भगवंस्तारको नाम तारजो दानवोत्तमः तेन संनिहता युद्धे वत्सा गोपतिना यथा

Transliteration

bhagavaṃstārako nāma tārajo dānavottamaḥ tena saṃnihatā yuddhe vatsā gopatinā yathā

Translation

噢，圣者！有一位最卓越的达那婆名为塔罗迦，生于塔罗。战场之上，我们被他击溃，如同小牛被牧者所制。

Word by Word

• bhagavan: O Blessed/Lord

• tārakaḥ: Tāraka

• nāma: by name/indeed

• tārajaḥ: born of Tārā

• dānava-uttamaḥ: the best among the Dānavas

• tena: by him

• saṁnihatāḥ: struck down/slain/defeated

• yuddhe: in battle

• vatsāḥ: calves

• gopa-tinā: by the lord of the cows/herdsman

• yathā: just as/like

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Taraka
• Danavas
• Devas

FAQs

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

It frames the Devas’ helplessness before a powerful Dānava, implying that worldly power cannot remove bondage (pāśa); deliverance ultimately requires turning to Shiva as Pati, which is the devotional logic behind Linga-upāsanā in the Purāṇa.

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

By contrast: the Devas are subdued like calves, showing finite beings (paśu) overwhelmed by forces of bondage. Shiva-tattva is implicitly the transcendent Lord (Pati) whose grace alone restores dharma and freedom when all other agencies fail.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No specific rite is stated in this line; the takeaway is the Pāśupata orientation—when overpowered by pāśa (adversity/adharma), one seeks Shiva through devotion, mantra, and Linga-pūjā as the means to regain steadiness and protection.