Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29

Adhyaya 23: श्वेत-लोहित-पीत-कृष्ण-विश्व-कल्पेषु रुद्रस्वरूप-गायत्री-तत्त्ववर्णनम्

Devanagari script

भूतग्रामाश् च चत्वार आश्रमाश् च तथैव च धर्मस्य पादाश्चत्वारश् चत्वारो मम पुत्रकाः

Transliteration

bhūtagrāmāś ca catvāra āśramāś ca tathaiva ca dharmasya pādāścatvāraś catvāro mama putrakāḥ

Translation

四类众生、四住期（āśrama）亦复如是，以及法（Dharma）之四足——这些四重之组，被宣说为我的诸子。

Word by Word

• bhūta-grāmāḥ: groups/classes of beings

• ca: and

• catvāraḥ: four

• āśramāḥ: the stages of life (brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, saṃnyāsa)

• ca: and

• tathā eva: likewise/indeed

• dharmasya: of Dharma (cosmic-ethical order)

• pādāḥ: feet/pillars

• catvāraḥ: four

• catvāraḥ: (these) fourfold (sets)

• mama: my

• putrakāḥ: sons/emanations

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s teaching lineage to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Dharma

FAQs

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

It frames Linga worship within Shiva’s governance of cosmic order: creation (bhūta-grāma), disciplined life (āśrama), and Dharma’s stability are treated as Shiva-origin principles, so Linga-pūjā is not isolated ritual but alignment with that order.

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

Shiva is implied as Pati—the sovereign source whose emanations structure both the living cosmos and the moral-spiritual path; the “sons” language points to dependent realities (pashu and world-order) arising under the Lord’s supremacy.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights āśrama-dharma as a Shaiva sādhanā framework: disciplined conduct and duty become supportive limbs for purification of the pashu, making one fit for deeper Pāśupata-oriented worship and contemplation of the Linga.