Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 14

Adhyaya 59 — सूर्याद्यभिषेककथनम्

Surya and Related Abhisheka/ Cosmological Determinations

Devanagari script

यश्चायं मण्डली शुक्ली निरूष्मा सम्प्रजायते प्रभा सौरी तु पादेन ह्य् अस्तं याते दिवाकरे

Transliteration

yaścāyaṃ maṇḍalī śuklī nirūṣmā samprajāyate prabhā saurī tu pādena hy astaṃ yāte divākare

Translation

而此白色圆轮之光，生起时清凉无热，即名为太阳之辉。唯当太阳西没之际，它才显现为四分之一。由是可知，宇宙秩序以光明之分量与层级而被标识。

Word by Word

• yaḥ ca ayam: and this

• maṇḍalī: circular/orb-like

• śuklī: white, luminous

• nirūṣmā: without heat, cool

• samprajāyate: is produced, comes into being

• prabhā: radiance, splendor

• saurī: solar, belonging to the Sun

• tu: indeed

• pādena: by a quarter/one part

• hi: certainly

• astaṁ yāte: when (it has) gone to setting

• divākare: in the Sun (the day-maker)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Surya

FAQs

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

It frames light (prabhā) as a measurable sign (liṅga) of cosmic order; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such ordered manifestation points to Pati (Shiva) as the governor of niyati, guiding how devotees time worship with natural transitions like sunset.

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

Though Surya is named, the verse emphasizes regulated manifestation—degrees of radiance appearing at set times—supporting the Shaiva view that all prakāśa in the cosmos operates under the higher sovereignty of Shiva-tattva, the transcendent Pati behind all luminous powers.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It implicitly supports sandhyā-kāla discipline—especially sunset observances—where a sādhaka aligns japa, dhyāna, or linga-pūjā with the diminishing solar prabhā, using external light as a cue for inward recollection of Shiva.