Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22

मदनदाहः — पार्वतीतपः, स्वयंवरलीला, देवस्तम्भनं, दिव्यचक्षुर्दानम्

Devanagari script

त्रयश् च त्रिसहस्रं च तथान्ये बहवः सुरा जग्मुर् गिरीन्द्रपुत्र्यास्तु स्वयंवरमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

trayaś ca trisahasraṃ ca tathānye bahavaḥ surā jagmur girīndraputryāstu svayaṃvaramanuttamam

Translation

三与三千，以及许多其他天神，也都前往山王之女那无上殊胜的自择婚礼（svayaṃvara）——此事预示湿婆与雪克提的至上合一，乃解脱之轴；于彼，帕提引导众生（pashu）超越系缚（pasha）。

Word by Word

• त्रयः: three

• च: and

• त्रिसहस्रम्: three thousand

• च: and

• तथा: likewise

• अन्ये: others

• बहवः: many

• सुराः: gods/devas

• जग्मुः: went/proceeded

• गिरीन्द्र-पुत्र्याः: of the daughter of the Lord of mountains (Himālaya)

• तु: indeed/for

• स्वयंवरम्: svayaṃvara (self-choice marriage rite)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed/supreme

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Girirāja (Himālaya)
• Girīndraputrī (Pārvatī/Umā)
• Devas (Surāḥ)

FAQs

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

By depicting the devas assembling for the supreme svayaṃvara of the Mountain’s Daughter, the verse signals the cosmic sanctity of Śiva-Śakti union—an essential Shaiva key for understanding the Linga as the axis where consciousness (Śiva) and power (Śakti) are inseparable.

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

Though Śiva is not named directly, the “unsurpassed” svayaṃvara implies a transcendent divine purpose: Shiva-tattva as Pati, the sovereign principle toward whom the cosmos gravitates, culminating in the Śiva-Śakti integration that dissolves pasha for the pashu.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights a royal-sacral gathering around a svayaṃvara—an auspicious rite that, in Shaiva framing, mirrors inner yoga: the pashu’s decisive turning toward Pati, preparing the ground for Pashupata-oriented discipline and devotion.