Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 41

Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा निन्दां भवस्याथ तत्क्षणादेव संत्यजेत् स्वदेहं तं निहत्याशु शिवलोकं स गच्छति

Transliteration

śrutvā nindāṃ bhavasyātha tatkṣaṇādeva saṃtyajet svadehaṃ taṃ nihatyāśu śivalokaṃ sa gacchati

Translation

一旦听到亵渎 Bhava（湿婆）之言，当即刻舍弃此身；迅速毁灭自己的肉身之后，他便能前往湿婆的世界（Shivaloka）。

Word by Word

• śrutvā: having heard

• nindām: censure/blasphemy

• bhavasya: of Bhava (Śiva)

• atha: then/thereupon

• tatkṣaṇāt eva: at that very moment

• saṃtyajet: should abandon (give up)

• svadeham: one’s own body

• tam: that (body)

• nihatya: having slain/put down

• āśu: quickly

• śivalokam: the realm/world of Śiva

• saḥ: he

• gacchati: goes/attains

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purāṇic injunction to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Bhava
• Shivaloka

FAQs

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

It frames reverence to Śiva (Pati) as a core discipline: tolerating or internalizing Śiva-nindā is treated as spiritually ruinous, so the devotee must immediately renounce association with it to protect bhakti and purity of worship.

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

Śiva is implied as the supreme refuge and final destination (Śivaloka). The verse treats alignment with Śiva-tattva as liberative, while opposition through nindā is a grave fault that must be cut off instantly.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A discipline of śravaṇa-niyama (regulating what one hears) and saṅga-tyāga (renouncing harmful company). In a Shaiva-Pāśupata frame, it is a vow-like safeguard against aparādha, preserving the pashu’s movement toward Pati by breaking the pasha of sinful association.