Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 109

देवैर्विष्णोः शरणागमनम्—शिवलिङ्गस्थापनं, शिवसहस्रनामस्तवः, सुदर्शनचक्रप्रदानं च

Devanagari script

मनो बुद्धिरहङ्कारः क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रपालकः तेजोनिधिर् ज्ञाननिधिर् विपाको विघ्नकारकः

Transliteration

mano buddhirahaṅkāraḥ kṣetrajñaḥ kṣetrapālakaḥ tejonidhir jñānanidhir vipāko vighnakārakaḥ

Translation

祂是意（Manas）、智（Buddhi）与“我执”（Ahaṅkāra）。祂是田知者（Kṣetrajña），知此身之“田”（具身之灵）；亦是护田者（Kṣetrapālaka），主宰并守护具身之境。祂是光明宝藏（Tejonidhi）与智慧宝藏（Jñānanidhi）——神圣辉耀之库，解脱知见之库。祂是业果成熟（Vipāka），令业行结成果报；亦是造障者（Vighnakāraka）——以障碍约束被绳索pāśa所缚的兽魂paśu，引其归向主宰Pati。

Word by Word

• manas (mano): mind

• buddhiḥ: intellect/discriminative faculty

• ahaṅkāraḥ: ego-principle/I-sense

• kṣetrajñaḥ: knower of the field (conscious principle within the body)

• kṣetrapālakaḥ: protector/guardian of the field (the Lord who rules the body-mind complex)

• tejonidhiḥ: storehouse of splendor/inner fire

• jñānanidhiḥ: storehouse of knowledge (saving wisdom)

• vipākaḥ: fruition/ripening (of karma into experience)

• vighnakārakaḥ: maker of obstacles (controller who blocks harmful paths)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Sahasranama to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It frames Linga worship as inner worship: offering mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), and ego (ahaṅkāra) into Shiva, recognizing him as both the indwelling knower and the sovereign guardian of embodied life.

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

Shiva-tattva is shown as transcendent-yet-immanent: he pervades the psycho-physical instruments as their power, while also standing as Kṣetrapālaka—the supreme Pati who governs karma’s fruition and grants jñāna that loosens pasha (bondage).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

A Pāśupata-oriented discipline of inner purification: observing the play of mind–intellect–ego, surrendering them to Shiva, and accepting karmic vipāka and even ‘obstacles’ as Shiva’s governance that redirects the paśu toward liberation.