Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 161

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

Devanagari script

आद्यन्तशून्याय च संस्थिताय तथा त्वशून्याय च लिङ्गिने च अलिङ्गिने लिङ्गमयाय तुभ्यं लिङ्गाय वेदादिमयाय साक्षात्

Transliteration

ādyantaśūnyāya ca saṃsthitāya tathā tvaśūnyāya ca liṅgine ca aliṅgine liṅgamayāya tubhyaṃ liṅgāya vedādimayāya sākṣāt

Translation

敬礼于您——圣林伽——超越始与终而恒常安住；非虚无；既为有相之主（Liṅgin），亦为离相之主（Aliṅgin）；为林伽真理（Liṅga-tattva）之精髓；并直接显现为吠陀及其本初源头，作为至上实在之主宰（Pati）而现前。

Word by Word

• ādya-anta-śūnyāya: to the One devoid of beginning and end

• ca: and

• saṃsthitāya: to the One firmly established/abiding

• tathā: likewise

• tu: indeed

• aśūnyāya: to the Non-void/Real (not nihilistic emptiness)

• ca: and

• liṅgine: to the Possessor of the liṅga/mark (the Lord who bears the sign)

• ca: and

• aliṅgine: to the Markless One (beyond all signs and attributes)

• liṅga-mayāya: to the One constituted of/manifest as the Linga

• tubhyam: to You

• liṅgāya: to the Linga (as the worshipful form)

• veda-ādi-mayāya: to the One made of the Vedas and their beginning/source

• sākṣāt: directly, manifestly, in immediate presence

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a Linga-stuti within the Purva-Bhaga discourse)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames the Linga as both a tangible focus for puja and the direct presence of the transcendent Pati—beyond beginning/end and beyond all limiting marks—thereby legitimizing Linga-puja as worship of the Supreme, not merely a symbol.

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

Shiva is described as simultaneously liṅgin (the Lord associated with the sacred sign for devotees) and aliṅgin (ultimately nirguṇa/markless). This expresses the Siddhanta-friendly balance: the Pati is transcendent yet graciously accessible through the Linga without being confined by it.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The implied practice is Linga-upāsanā with contemplative insight: worship the visible Linga while meditating on Shiva as sākṣāt—directly present and beyond all attributes—supporting Pashupata-oriented inner recollection alongside external puja.