Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43

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

Devanagari script

आस्तां तावन्ममेच्छायाः क्षीरं प्रति सुराधमम् निहत्य त्वां शिवास्त्रेण त्यजाम्येतत्कलेवरम्

Transliteration

āstāṃ tāvanmamecchāyāḥ kṣīraṃ prati surādhamam nihatya tvāṃ śivāstreṇa tyajāmyetatkalevaram

Translation

关于乳海之事，我的私愿到此为止。噫，诸天之中最卑劣者！我以湿婆之神兵“湿婆阿斯特拉”（Śivāstra）击倒你之后，便将舍弃此身。

Word by Word

• आस्ताम् (āstām): let it be / enough of that

• तावत् (tāvat): for now / to that extent

• मम (mama): my

• इच्छायाः (icchāyāḥ): of desire / of intention

• क्षीरम् (kṣīram): milk

• प्रति (prati): toward / regarding

• सुराधमम् (surādhamam): the lowest among the gods

• निहत्य (nihatya): having slain / having struck down

• त्वाम् (tvām): you

• शिवास्त्रेण (śivāstreṇa): with the weapon of Shiva (Shiva-Astra)

• त्यजामि (tyajāmi): I abandon / I renounce

• एतत् (etat): this

• कलेवरम् (kalevaram): body

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating an internal dialogue; the immediate speaker is a deity/warrior figure invoking Shiva-Astra against an opposing deva)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Shiva as Pati—the supreme refuge whose power overrides personal desire and worldly aims. In Linga-oriented devotion, the verse supports surrender (śaraṇāgati) and detachment, making worship not a transaction for outcomes but alignment with Shiva’s will.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as the transcendent authority behind divine power (śakti) and decisive liberation from embodiment. The Shiva-Astra symbolizes Pati’s capacity to cut through pasha (bondage) and end identification with the body.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The key yogic takeaway is vairāgya (renunciation) joined to īśvara-prāṇidhāna (offering one’s will to the Lord). While the verse is martial in imagery, its inner Pāśupata sense is the weapon-like discipline that destroys egoic bondage.