Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 124

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

शिवाय शिवतत्त्वाय अघोराय नमोनमः अघोराष्टकतत्त्वाय द्वादशात्मस्वरूपिणे

Transliteration

śivāya śivatattvāya aghorāya namonamaḥ aghorāṣṭakatattvāya dvādaśātmasvarūpiṇe

Translation

再三顶礼于湿婆——亲为湿婆真理（Śiva-tattva）者，阿伽罗（Aghora）吉祥主：非可怖，唯为瑞善。顶礼于彼，其真实被宣说为“阿伽罗八义”（Aghora-Aṣṭaka），并显现为十二重自性之形。

Word by Word

• शिवाय: to Śiva

• शिवतत्त्वाय: to the principle/reality of Śiva (Śiva-tattva)

• अघोराय: to Aghora (the non-fierce, auspicious aspect)

• नमोनमः: salutations again and again

• अघोराष्टकतत्त्वाय: to the reality/principle of the Aghora-Aṣṭaka (eightfold Aghora doctrine/praise)

• द्वादशात्मस्वरूपिणे: to Him whose nature is the twelvefold Self (twelvefold manifestation/ātma-form)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a received stuti within the Purva-Bhaga context)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Aghora

FAQs

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

It functions as a tattva-focused salutation: the devotee worships the Linga not merely as a symbol but as Śiva-tattva itself—Aghora, the auspicious Pati who dissolves fear and purifies the pashu (individual soul) from pāśa (bondage).

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

Śiva is identified with His own ultimate reality (Śiva-tattva) and praised as Aghora—indicating the Lord’s grace-filled, non-terrifying essence that restores the soul to clarity, freedom, and right knowledge.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Aghora-oriented japa and stuti are implied—invoking Śiva as the inner twelvefold presence, a contemplative practice aligned with Pāśupata discipline where devotion and insight loosen pāśa and establish the pashu in the Lord (Pati).