Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13

अध्याय 91: अरिष्ट-लक्षण, मृत्यु-संस्कार, पाशुपत-धारणा तथा ओङ्कार-उपासना

Devanagari script

यस्य वै स्नातमात्रस्य हृदयं परिशुष्यति धूमं वा मस्तकात्पश्येद् दशाहान्न स जीवति

Transliteration

yasya vai snātamātrasya hṛdayaṃ pariśuṣyati dhūmaṃ vā mastakātpaśyed daśāhānna sa jīvati

Translation

若有人沐浴之后立刻觉得心中如枯槁干涸，或见烟气自自己头顶升起，则此人不出十日便难以存活。

Word by Word

• yasya: of whom

• vai: indeed

• snāta-mātrasya: just after bathing

• hṛdayam: the heart

• pariśuṣyati: becomes dried up/withers

• dhūmam: smoke

• vā: or

• mastakāt: from the head

• paśyet: should see/perceives

• daśa-ahāt: beyond ten days/after ten days

• na: not

• saḥ: he

• jīvati: lives

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating omens to the sages at Naimisharanya)

FAQs

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

It frames bodily and mental portents as karmic indicators; for a Shaiva practitioner, such signs intensify the urgency of turning to Mahadeva as Pati through japa, vrata, and Linga-puja to seek protection and right orientation of the pashu (soul) amid impending adversity.

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

Implicitly, it contrasts the fragility of embodied life (pashu under pasha—bondage to karma and time) with the need to take refuge in Shiva as Pati, the transcendent Lord who alone grants steadiness and liberation beyond ominous conditions.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A post-bath (snāna) observance is implied: self-examination for signs, followed by remedial Shaiva acts—Linga-archana, Rudra-japa, and vrata—consistent with Puranic prayashchitta and the Pashupata emphasis on disciplined purification.