Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

Varaha-Pradurbhava Context: Prahlada’s Bhakti, Narasimha’s Ugra-Form, and Shiva’s Sharabha Intervention

Devanagari script

ततो निहत्य तं दैत्यं सबान्धवमघापहः पीडयामास दैत्येन्द्रं युगान्ताग्निरिवापरः

Transliteration

tato nihatya taṃ daityaṃ sabāndhavamaghāpahaḥ pīḍayāmāsa daityendraṃ yugāntāgnirivāparaḥ

Translation

随后，在诛杀了那个岱提耶及其亲属之后，这位除罪之主镇压了岱提耶之王，宛如纪元末期的毁灭之火。

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then

• nihatya: having slain

• tam: that

• daityam: demon (Daitya)

• sa-bāndhavam: together with (his) relatives/associates

• agha-apahaḥ: remover of sin (epithet of the Lord)

• pīḍayāmāsa: tormented, crushed, subdued

• daitya-indram: the lord/king of the Daityas

• yuga-anta-agniḥ: the fire at the end of a yuga (cosmic dissolution-fire)

• iva: like

• aparaḥ: another, second (as though a second such fire).

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Daitya
• Daityendra

FAQs

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

It presents Shiva as aghāpaha, the remover of sin—affirming that Linga-upasana is not merely symbolic but a means to burn pasha (bondage) and restore dharma by the Lord’s purifying power.

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

Shiva is shown as Pati—the sovereign force who can both annihilate adharma externally (Daityas) and dissolve inner impurities, likened to yugāntāgni, the cosmic fire that ends a cycle and enables renewal.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implies the Pashupata thrust of purification: through Shiva-bhakti and disciplined sadhana, the aspirant seeks the burning of agha (sin) and the crushing of inner daitya-like tendencies (tamas, pride, violence).