Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 176

Adhyaya 70: आदिसर्गः—महत्-अहङ्कार-तन्मात्रा-भूतसृष्टिः, ब्रह्माण्डावरणम्, प्रजासर्गः, त्रिमूर्ति-शैवाधिष्ठानम्

Devanagari script

विज्ञानेन निवृत्तास्ते व्यवर्तन्त महौजसः संबुद्धाश्चैव नानात्वे अप्रवृत्ताश् च योगिनः

Transliteration

vijñānena nivṛttāste vyavartanta mahaujasaḥ saṃbuddhāścaiva nānātve apravṛttāś ca yoginaḥ

Translation

凭借辨别智（vijñāna），那些大威力者收摄退转，离开世间的攀缘。既已觉悟于超越诸多差别之真理，这些瑜伽行者不再趋入分别经验之境，而安住于引导缚魂 paśu 归向主宰 Pati——湿婆圣主的正道。

Word by Word

• विज्ञानेन (vijñānena): by discriminative spiritual knowledge

• निवृत्ताः (nivṛttāḥ): withdrawn, turned away (from pravṛtti/worldly pursuit)

• ते (te): they

• व्यवर्तन्त (vyavartanta): turned back, desisted

• महौजसः (mahaujasaḥ): of great splendour/power

• संबुद्धाः (saṃbuddhāḥ): fully awakened, enlightened

• च एव (ca eva): and indeed

• नानात्वे (nānātve): in multiplicity, in differentiated plurality

• अप्रवृत्ताः (apravṛttāḥ): not engaged, not proceeding

• च (ca): and

• योगिनः (yoginaḥ): yogins, contemplatives

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-oriented devotion as culminating in vijñāna and nivṛtti—turning the mind away from multiplicity toward the one Pati, Śiva, which is the inner aim behind external worship.

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

By implying a reality beyond nānātva (plurality), it aligns with Śiva-tattva as the supreme, non-dual ground in which differentiated appearances are transcended by awakened yogins.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A jñāna-yoga/Pāśupata-oriented nivṛtti practice: withdrawing from pravṛtti and sense-driven multiplicity through discriminative knowledge, stabilizing awareness toward liberation.