Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

सूर्यरथनिर्णयः (चन्द्रस्य पक्षवृद्धिक्षयविधानम्)

Devanagari script

यावत्तु क्षीयते तस्य भागः पञ्चदशस्तु सः अमावास्यां ततस्तस्या अन्तरा पूर्यते पुनः

Transliteration

yāvattu kṣīyate tasya bhāgaḥ pañcadaśastu saḥ amāvāsyāṃ tatastasyā antarā pūryate punaḥ

Translation

其所消减之分，被计为第十五分；至阿摩婆娑（新月）时便相应减尽，而后在其间的时日里，又再度充盈（复又渐增）。

Word by Word

• yāvat: as much as/so long as

• tu: indeed

• kṣīyate: wanes, diminishes

• tasya: of it (of the Moon)

• bhāgaḥ: portion, part

• pañcadaśaḥ: the fifteenth

• tu: indeed

• saḥ: that (portion)

• amāvāsyām: on the new-moon day

• tataḥ: thereafter

• tasyāḥ: of it (of the Moon/its orb)

• antarā: in the interval (between phases)

• pūryate: is filled, becomes full

• punaḥ: again

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Chandra (Moon)
• Amavasya

FAQs

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

It links Shiva-puja to sacred time (kāla) by describing the Moon’s waning and waxing that define tithis; observing amāvāsyā and the lunar cycle helps time vrata, abhiṣeka, and dāna in a ritually precise way.

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

By emphasizing cyclical decrease and replenishment, it points to kāla as a regulated power within creation—while Shiva as Pati is the transcendent lord of kāla, the Pashu experiences change and rhythm through such cosmic measures.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Tithi-based observance—especially amāvāsyā-related rites (vrata, śrāddha, japa, and Shiva-abhiṣeka)—supporting Pashupata discipline through regularity and mastery over time-bound impulses (pāśa).