Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22

देवदारुवनौकसां प्रति ब्रह्मोपदेशः—लिङ्गलक्षण-प्रतिष्ठा-विधिः, शिवमायारूपदर्शनं, स्तुतिः

Devanagari script

सम्प्रस्थिता वनौकास्ते देवदारुवनं ततः आराधयितुमारब्धा ब्रह्मणा कथितं यथा

Transliteration

samprasthitā vanaukāste devadāruvanaṃ tataḥ ārādhayitumārabdhā brahmaṇā kathitaṃ yathā

Translation

于是诸林居者启程前往天松林（Devadāru）。他们依梵天所说，开始如法修供养，将精勤倾注于以规定之奉爱（bhakti）来悦服主宰（Pati，湿婆）。

Word by Word

• सम्प्रस्थिता (samprasthitā): having set out, departed

• वनौकाः (vanaukāḥ): forest-dwellers/ascetics living in the woods

• ते (te): they

• देवदारुवनम् (devadāruvanam): the Devadāru forest (cedar/deodar grove)

• ततः (tataḥ): then, thereafter

• आराधयितुम् (ārādhayitum): to worship, to propitiate

• आरब्धाः (ārabdhāḥ): began/undertook

• ब्रह्मणा (brahmaṇā): by Brahmā

• कथितम् (kathitam): spoken, instructed

• यथा (yathā): as, in the manner that

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana; reporting the episode)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It establishes that Shiva-arādhana is undertaken according to revealed instruction (here, Brahmā’s guidance), highlighting that Linga-oriented devotion is not arbitrary but grounded in vidhi (right method) and inward reverence toward Pati.

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

By presenting worship as directed toward the supreme Lord to be propitiated, it implies Shiva as Pati—the transcendent ruler and liberator—toward whom the pashus (individual souls) turn when following right knowledge and instruction.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes ārādhana (formal propitiatory worship) performed ‘as instructed,’ pointing to disciplined practice—akin to Pāśupata orientation—where correct method, intention, and obedience to śāstric guidance are central.