Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12

श्वेतमुनिना कालस्य निग्रहः (मृत्युञ्जय-भक्ति-प्रसादः)

Devanagari script

श्वेत उवाच त्वया किं काल नो नाथश् चास्ति चेद्धि वृषध्वजः लिङ्गे ऽस्मिन् शङ्करो रुद्रः सर्वदेवभवोद्भवः

Transliteration

śveta uvāca tvayā kiṃ kāla no nāthaś cāsti ceddhi vṛṣadhvajaḥ liṅge 'smin śaṅkaro rudraḥ sarvadevabhavodbhavaḥ

Translation

尸吠多说道：“迦罗（时间）对你有何权势？若我们确有主宰——持牛旗者（Vṛṣadhvaja）——则就在此灵伽之中，商羯罗、鲁陀罗安住；一切诸天的位分与威力，皆由彼而生。”

Word by Word

• śvetaḥ uvāca: Śveta said

• tvayā kim: what (can be done) to/against you

• kālaḥ: Time (death/time-principle)

• naḥ: for us/our

• nāthaḥ: Lord, protector

• ca asti: does exist

• cet hi: if indeed

• vṛṣa-dhvajaḥ: the Bull-bannered One (Śiva)

• liṅge asmin: in this Liṅga, in this very emblem

• śaṅkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (beneficent Śiva)

• rudraḥ: Rudra (the fierce, transformative Lord)

• sarva-deva-bhava-udbhavaḥ: the origin/source of the conditions, powers, and manifestations of all gods

Speaker

Śveta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Rudra
• Shankara

FAQs

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

It identifies the Liṅga as the immediate locus of Pati (Śiva), implying that refuge in Liṅga-tattva places the devotee beyond the tyranny of Kāla, a principal form of pāśa (bondage).

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

Śiva is presented as Vṛṣadhvaja—Śaṅkara-Rudra—who is not merely one deva among others, but the sarvadevabhavodbhava, the ontological source from which the devas’ functions and powers arise.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in the Liṅga with Pāśupata-bhāva—contemplating Śiva as Pati beyond Kāla—supporting both Liṅga-pūjā and meditative absorption on the Liṅga as the supreme ādhāra.