Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

शैलेन्द्रः कार्मुकं चैव ज्या भुजङ्गाधिपः स्वयम् कालरात्र्या तथैवेह तथेन्द्रधनुषा पुनः

Transliteration

śailendraḥ kārmukaṃ caiva jyā bhujaṅgādhipaḥ svayam kālarātryā tathaiveha tathendradhanuṣā punaḥ

Translation

在此，雪楞陀罗（Śailendra）确为弓；弓弦则是蛇王自身。同样，迦罗夜（Kālarātrī）亦在此显现；而再者，因陀罗之虹亦为弓。由这些神圣的人格化可知主之威力：连兵器与时间之力，皆成至上湿婆——主宰（Pati）手中的器具。

Word by Word

• शैलेन्द्रः: Śailendra (lord of mountains, the mountain-king)

• कार्मुकम्: bow

• च एव: and indeed

• ज्या: bowstring

• भुजङ्गाधिपः: lord of serpents (Nāga-king, e.g., Vāsuki/Śeṣa)

• स्वयम्: himself

• कालरात्र्या: by/with Kālarātrī (the dark night of Time, destructive power)

• तथा एव इह: just so, here

• तथा इन्द्रधनुषा: likewise by/with Indra’s rainbow (indra-dhanuṣ)

• पुनः: again/further

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purva-Bhaga to the sages; verse embedded in a descriptive-stuti of divine forces/ayudhas)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Śailendra
• Bhujangādhipa (Nāga-king)
• Kālarātrī
• Indra

FAQs

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

It trains the devotee to perceive all cosmic powers—mountain, serpent-force, Time (Kālarātrī), and the rainbow of Indra—as subordinate manifestations serving Pati (Shiva). This supports Linga-puja as worship of the One who holds and transcends all forces.

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

Shiva-tattva is implied as the sovereign principle in which even destructive Time-power (Kālarātrī) and protective or celestial forces (Indra’s rainbow) become functional expressions—showing Pati as the controller of pasha-like forces that bind or liberate pashus.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A contemplative stuti (bhāvanā) aligned with Pāśupata insight: during japa or Linga-dhyāna, the sādhaka internalizes that all energies and instruments are Shiva’s—reducing pasha (bondage) by dissolving the sense of separate agency.