Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

Adhyaya 75: Nishkala–Sakala Shiva, Twofold Linga, and the Supremacy of Dhyana-Yajna

Devanagari script

नास्ति क्रिया च लोकेषु सुखं दुःखं विचारतः धर्माधर्मौ जपो होमो ध्यानिनां संनिधिः सदा

Transliteration

nāsti kriyā ca lokeṣu sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ vicārataḥ dharmādharmau japo homo dhyānināṃ saṃnidhiḥ sadā

Translation

以真实的辨慧观照，则诸世界中一切行为本身并非乐亦非苦。亦复如是，法与非法、持诵（japa）与火供（homa），恒常在禅观者之前；因其内在观照，使诸仪轨悉皆摄入主宰（Pati，湿婆）之临在与近旁。

Word by Word

• na asti: there is not

• kriyā: (inherently binding) action/ritual act

• ca: and

• lokeṣu: in the worlds

• sukham: happiness/pleasure

• duḥkham: sorrow/pain

• vicārataḥ: from discernment/when examined

• dharma-adharmau: righteousness and unrighteousness

• japaḥ: mantra-repetition

• homaḥ: fire-offering

• dhyāninām: of meditators/contemplatives

• saṃnidhiḥ: presence/near-attendance

• sadā: always

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Linga Purana’s discourse on discernment and practice)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames ritual (kriyā) as not intrinsically producing sukha or duḥkha; in Linga worship, outer acts mature when joined to vicāra and dhyāna, where devotion to Pati (Shiva) internalizes the essence of japa and homa.

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

By implying that dualities like pleasure/pain and even dharma/adharma are grasped differently through discernment, it points to Shiva as Pati—ever-present to the dhyānin—beyond worldly oppositions, the steady ground in which practices find their true meaning.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Dhyāna supported by vicāra is emphasized: for the contemplative, japa and homa are ‘always present’—suggesting the Pashupata-oriented interiorization of rites into continuous remembrance and meditative absorption.