Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 91
मेनायाः क्रोध-विलापः — Menā’s Lament and Reproach
to the Sage
तेनैव निर्मिता देवी मूलप्रकृतिरीश्वरी । तत्पार्श्वे च तदा तेन निर्मितः पुरुषोत्तमः
tenaiva nirmitā devī mūlaprakṛtirīśvarī | tatpārśve ca tadā tena nirmitaḥ puruṣottamaḥ
唯由彼一者，女神——自在主母（Īśvarī）、根本自然（Mūla‑Prakṛti）——得以显现；继而在她身侧，又由彼显现至上之人（Puruṣottama）。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
FAQs
It presents a Shaiva theistic cosmology: the Supreme Lord (Pati) freely manifests the Goddess as Mūla-Prakṛti (the power of material/creative becoming) and also manifests Puruṣottama, indicating that both energy (Śakti) and conscious principle (Puruṣa) depend on the Lord and are not independent absolutes.
In Linga worship, Shiva is revered as the transcendent cause who nevertheless becomes accessible through a sacred form (saguṇa upāsanā). This verse supports that devotion by affirming Shiva as the source of both Prakṛti and Puruṣa—hence the Linga signifies the Lord beyond all categories, yet present as the ground of creation.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Shiva as Pati—the Lord who empowers Śakti and governs creation—while japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” is performed, visualizing the Linga as the still center from which Prakṛti and Puruṣa arise and into which they resolve.