Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 31

Aghora-Mantra Japa: Graded Expiations, Pañcagavya Purification, and Homa for Mahāpātaka-Nivṛtti

Devanagari script

कृत्वा विमुच्यते सद्यो जन्मान्तरशतैरपि एतद्रहस्यं कथितम् अघोरेशप्रसंगतः

Transliteration

kṛtvā vimucyate sadyo janmāntaraśatairapi etadrahasyaṃ kathitam aghoreśaprasaṃgataḥ

Translation

一旦修行成就，便能立刻解脱，即使被数百生的系缚所缠亦然。此隐秘教法，因与阿诃罗耶沙（Aghoreśa，阿诃罗主）之因缘而宣说；彼为主宰（Pati），能断除束缚众生（paśu）之绳索（pāśa）。

Word by Word

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā): having done/after performing

• विमुच्यते (vimucyate): is released, is liberated

• सद्यः (sadyaḥ): immediately, at once

• जन्मान्तर-शतैः (janmāntara-śataiḥ): by hundreds of other births/lifetimes

• अपि (api): even

• एतत् (etat): this

• रहस्यम् (rahasyam): secret, esoteric doctrine

• कथितम् (kathitam): has been told/declared

• अघोरेश (aghoreśa): Lord Aghora (a form/name of Shiva)

• प्रसंगतः (prasaṅgataḥ): in the course of the topic/contextually

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya; internal teaching attributed to the Aghora context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Aghora

FAQs

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

It asserts that a specific, esoteric Shaiva practice connected with Aghoreśa—typically understood as Linga-centered worship/observance taught as a rahasya—can destroy accumulated bondage and yield immediate moksha.

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

Shiva is implied as Aghoreśa, the Pati: the sovereign Lord whose grace can override the long chain of janmāntaras by severing pasha (bondage) and freeing the pashu (individual soul).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse points to a ‘rahasya’ practice in the Aghora context—read in Shaiva terms as a Pashupata-oriented discipline or Linga-upasana whose completion (kṛtvā) leads to swift release.