Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 48

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

Devanagari script

एवं व्यवसिते विप्रे भगवान्भगनेत्रहा वारयामास सौम्येन धारणां तस्य योगिनः

Transliteration

evaṃ vyavasite vipre bhagavānbhaganetrahā vārayāmāsa saumyena dhāraṇāṃ tasya yoginaḥ

Translation

婆罗门啊，当他如此决意之时，具福的至尊——破眼者（Bhaganetra-hā）——以慈悲的安宁温柔地制止了那位瑜伽行者的持念（dhāraṇā，内在定持）。

Word by Word

• एवं: thus

• व्यवसिते: when (he) had resolved/decided

• विप्रे: O Brahmin

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord (Pati, Shiva)

• भगनेत्रहा: the slayer of Bhaga’s eye (an epithet of Shiva)

• वारयामास: restrained/checked

• सौम्येन: with gentleness/soothing grace

• धारणाम्: dhāraṇā, steady inner fixation/concentration

• तस्य: of that

• योगिनः: yogin/ascetic practitioner

Speaker

Suta (narrating to the sages; internal episode describing Shiva’s intervention)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It highlights that spiritual practice around Shiva (Pati) is not merely self-driven austerity; the Lord actively guides the devotee-yogin, ensuring practice matures through grace rather than force.

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

Shiva is shown as Pati—sovereign and compassionate—who can restrain even intense yogic concentration, indicating His supremacy over inner states and His role as the liberator of the pashu from pasha.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhāraṇā (steady concentration) is explicitly mentioned; the verse implies a Pāśupata-style discipline where yogic effort is harmonized by Shiva’s saumyatva (cool, benevolent restraint).