Shiva Purana · Chapter 1.5

sūta uvāca /
śravaṇāditrike'śakto liṃgaṃ beraṃ ca śāṃkaram /
saṃsthāpya nityamabhyarcya taretsaṃsārasāgaram

api dra vyaṃ vahedeva yathābalamavaṃcayan /
arpayelliṃgaberārthamarcayedapi saṃtatam

maṃḍapaṃ gopuraṃ tīrthaṃ maṭhaṃ kṣetraṃ tathotsavam /
vastraṃ gaṃdhaṃ ca mālyaṃ ca dhūpaṃ dīpaṃ ca bhaktitaḥ

vividhānnaṃ ca naivedyamapūpavyaṃjanairyutam /
chatraṃ dhvajaṃ ca vyajanaṃ cāmaraṃ cāpi sāṃgakam

rājopacāravatsarvaṃ dhārayelliṃgaberayoḥ /
pradakṣiṇāṃ namaskāraṃ yathāśakti japaṃ tathā

āvāhanādisargāṃtaṃ nityaṃ kuryātsubhaktitaḥ /
itthamabhyarcya yandevaṃ liṃgebere ca śāṃkare

siddhimeti śivaprītyā hitvāpi śravaṇādikam /
liṃgaberārcanāmātrānmuktāḥ purve mahājanāḥ

manuya ūcuḥ /
beramātre tu sarvatra pūjyaṃte devatāgaṇāḥ /
liṃgebere ca sarvatra kathaṃ saṃpūjyate śivaḥ

sūta uvāca /
aho munīśvarāḥ puṇyaṃ praśnametanmahādbhutam /
atra vaktā mahādevo nānyo'sti puruṣaḥ kvacit

śivenoktaṃ pravakṣyāmi kramādgurumukhācchrutam /
śivaiko brahmarūpatvānniṣkalaḥ parikīrtitaḥ

rūpitvātsakalastadvattasmātsakalaniṣkalaḥ /
niṣkalatvānnirākāraṃ liṃgaṃ tasya samāgatam

sakalatvāttathā beraṃ sākāraṃ tasya saṃgatam /
sakalākalarūpatvādbrahmaśabdābhidhaḥ paraḥ

api liṃge ca bere ca nityamabhyarcyate janaiḥ /
abrahmatvāttadanyeṣāṃ niṣkalatvaṃ na hi kvacit

tasmātte niṣkale liṃge nārādhyaṃte sureśvarāḥ /
abrahmatvācca jīvatvāttathānye devatāgaṇāḥ

tūṣṇīṃ sakalamātratvādarcyaṃte beramātrake /
jīvatvaṃ śaṃkarānyeṣāṃ brahmatvaṃ śaṃkarasya ca

vedāṃtasārasaṃsiddhaṃ praṇavārthe prakāśanāt /
evameva purā pṛṣṭo maṃdare naṃdikeśvaraḥ

sanatkumāramuninā brahmaputreṇa dhīmatā १७b/
sanatkumāra uvāca /
śivānyadevavaśyānāṃ sarveṣāmapi sarvataḥ

beramātraṃ ca pūjārthaṃ śrutaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ ca bhūriśaḥ /
śivamātrasya pūjāyāṃ liṃgaṃ beraṃ ca dṛśyate

atastadbrūhi kalyāṇa tattvaṃ me sādhubodhanam /
naṃdikeśvara uvāca /
anuttaramimaṃ praśnaṃ rahasyaṃ brahmalakṣaṇam

kathayāmi śivenoktaṃ bhaktiyuktasya te'nagha /
śivasya brahmarūpatvānniṣkalatvācca niṣkalam

liṃgaṃ tasyaiva pūjāyāṃ sarvavedeṣu saṃmatam /
tasyaiva sakalatvācca tathā sakalaniṣkalam

sakalaṃ ca tathā beraṃ pūjāyāṃ lokasaṃmatam /
śivānyeṣāṃ ca jīvatvātsakalatvācca sarvataḥ

beramātraṃ ca pūjāyāṃ saṃmataṃ vedanirṇaye /
svāvirbhāve ca devānāṃ sakalaṃ rūpameva hi

śivasya liṃgaṃ beraṃ ca darśane dṛśyate khalu /
sanatkumāra uvāca/
uktaṃ tvayā mahābhāga liṃgaberapracāraṇam

śivasya ca tadanyeṣāṃ vibhajya paramārthataḥ /
tasmāttadeva paramaṃ liṃgaberādisaṃbhavam

śrotumicchāmi yogīṃdra liṃgāvirbhāvalakṣaṇam /
naṃdikeśvara uvāca /
śṛṇu vatsa bhavatprītyā vakṣyāmi paramārthataḥ

purā kalpe mahākāle prapanne lokaviśrute /
āyudhyetāṃ mahātmānau brahmaviṣṇū parasparam

tayormānaṃ nirākartuṃ tanmadhye parameśvaraḥ /
niṣkalastaṃbharūpeṇa svarūpaṃ samadarśayat

tataḥ svaliṃgacihnatvātstaṃbhato niṣkalaṃ śivaḥ /
svaliṃgaṃ darśayāmāsa jagatāṃ hitakāmyayā

tadāprabhṛti lokeṣu niṣkalaṃ liṃgamaiśvaram /
sakalaṃ ca tathā beraṃ śivasyaiva prakalpitam

śivānyeṣaḥ tu devānāṃ beramātraṃ prakalpitam /
tattadberaṃ tu devānāṃ tattadbhogapradaṃ śubham /
śivasya liṃgaberatvaṃ bhogamokṣapradaṃ śubham

iti śrīśivamahāpurāṇe vidyeśvarasaṃhitāyāṃ paṃcamo'dhyāyaḥ