Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22

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

Devanagari script

ज्ञानिनां सूक्ष्मममलं भवेत्प्रत्यक्षमव्ययम् यथा स्थूलमयुक्तानां मृत्काष्ठाद्यैः प्रकल्पितम्

Transliteration

jñānināṃ sūkṣmamamalaṃ bhavetpratyakṣamavyayam yathā sthūlamayuktānāṃ mṛtkāṣṭhādyaiḥ prakalpitam

Translation

对具智者（jñānin）而言，微妙、无垢、不坏的真实当体直接显现；而对未调御、未与瑜伽相应者，它只被想象为粗重之物，仿佛由泥土、木材等所造。

Word by Word

• ज्ञानिनाम्: of the knowers

• सूक्ष्मम्: subtle (beyond gross perception)

• अमलम्: stainless, pure

• भवेत्: becomes

• प्रत्यक्षम्: directly perceived/manifest

• अव्ययम्: imperishable, undecaying

• यथा: just as

• स्थूलम्: gross, material

• अयुक्तानाम्: of the unyoked/undisciplined (lacking yoga)

• मृत्: clay

• काष्ठ-आद्यैः: by wood and other materials

• प्रकल्पितम्: imagined, constructed, conceived

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching within the Linga Purana’s Shaiva doctrine)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It distinguishes outer, material representations (clay/wood lingas) from the inner aim of Linga worship: to realize the subtle, pure, imperishable Shiva-tattva directly through disciplined practice.

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

Shiva-tattva is presented as sūkṣma (subtle), amala (stainless), and avyaya (imperishable), knowable not merely by concept but as pratyakṣa—directly evident to the jñānin whose pasha (bondage) is weakened by yoga and insight.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Pashupata-style discipline (yoga-yukti): becoming “yukta” through inner concentration and purity so the Pati (Lord) is directly realized, rather than remaining at the level of external, gross constructions alone.