Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 114

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

एतावदुक्त्वा भगवान् वीरभद्रो महाबलः अपश्यन् सर्वभूतानां तत्रैवान्तरधीयत

Transliteration

etāvaduktvā bhagavān vīrabhadro mahābalaḥ apaśyan sarvabhūtānāṃ tatraivāntaradhīyata

Translation

说罢这些，具大威力的圣者毗罗跋陀罗——不为一切众生所见——即于彼处隐没消失。由此可知，主之使者退出行事之场，昭示一切威能唯由主宰帕提（湿婆）而运作，而诸魂（paśu）仍为其有限之见所系缚。

Word by Word

• एतावत् (etāvat): this much

• उक्त्वा (uktvā): having spoken

• भगवान् (bhagavān): the blessed lord

• वीरभद्रः (vīrabhadraḥ): Vīrabhadra

• महाबलः (mahābalaḥ): of great strength

• अपश्यन् (apaśyan): not being seen / unseen

• सर्वभूतानाम् (sarva-bhūtānām): of all beings

• तत्रैव (tatraiva): right there, in that very place

• अन्तरधीयत (antaradhīyata): disappeared, became hidden

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the episode to the sages at Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Virabhadra
• Shiva

FAQs

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

It reinforces Śiva’s sole sovereignty (Pati): even His formidable emissary acts and withdraws by divine will, pointing devotees back to the Linga as the stable locus of Śiva’s presence beyond visible forms.

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

Through Vīrabhadra’s unseen disappearance, it hints at Śiva-tattva as both manifest in power and ungraspable to ordinary beings—transcendent, self-concealing, and not limited by perception.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is inner discernment central to Pāśupata discipline: recognizing the limits of sense-perception (paśu-bodha) and turning to Śiva through mantra, dhyāna, and Linga-upāsanā rather than chasing external signs.