Shloka 47
Glorification of Vārāṇasī: Kapardīśvara Liṅga and the Piśācamocana Tīrtha
शंकुकर्णोऽथ मुक्तात्मा तदात्मा सर्वगोऽमलः । निलिल्ये विमले लिंगे तदद्भुतमिवाभवत्
śaṃkukarṇo'tha muktātmā tadātmā sarvago'malaḥ | nililye vimale liṃge tadadbhutamivābhavat
ثم إن شانكوكَرْنا—وقد تحررت روحه واتحد بذاك، الشامل لكل شيء والطاهر من الدنس—اندغم في اللِّينغا النقي؛ فبدت الواقعة كأنها أعجوبة.
Narrator (contextual speaker not specified in the provided excerpt; typically within the Pulastya–Bhīṣma dialogue frame in Svarga-khaṇḍa)
Concept: Liberation culminates in identity with the all-pervading stainless reality; the sign (liṅga) becomes the doorway to the signified (tattva).
Application: Cultivate ‘amalatā’ through truthfulness, restraint, and daily remembrance; let worship be less transactional and more identity-shaping.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śaṅkukarṇa, serene and translucent with inner light, steps toward the immaculate liṅga whose surface is like polished moonstone. As he touches it, his form dissolves into a stream of luminous syllables, vanishing into the liṅga’s heart, leaving only a halo of wonder in the air.","primary_figures":["Śaṅkukarṇa (liberated devotee)","Pure Liṅga (Śiva-tattva)"],"setting":"A spotless sanctum of light with faint mandala geometry on the ground, suggesting a yogic inner-space rather than a physical temple.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["silver white","pale blue","soft gold","smoke gray","midnight violet"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Śaṅkukarṇa merging into a gleaming liṅga, gold leaf aura around both, embossed mandala floor, rich maroon-green borders, jewel-like highlights on the liṅga base, stylized sacred ash patterns, devotional symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate depiction of the devotee dissolving into the liṅga, cool silvery palette, fine linework for the dissolving body into light-particles, minimal architecture, gentle Himalayan-like mist to convey transcendence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of the devotee in yogic calm, the liṅga as a central icon with concentric radiance rings, strong yellow-red-green pigments, stylized lotus-mandala beneath, rhythmic patterning to show ‘all-pervading’.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central liṅga with ornate floral borders, the devotee rendered as a flowing garland of light entering the icon, lotus clusters and peacocks framing the scene, deep indigo background with gold detailing and white highlights."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft temple bell","long exhale-like silence","distant conch (very faint)"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शंकुकर्णोऽथ = शंकुकर्णः + अथ; सर्वगोऽमलः = सर्वगः + अमलः; तदद्भुतमिवाभवत् = तत् + अद्भुतम् + इव + अभवत्.
FAQs
It indicates non-dual realization: his identity is established in the Supreme Reality (Brahman/Paramatman), transcending limited individuality while remaining pure and all-pervading in awareness.
The liṅga functions as a sacred locus of Śiva and a symbol of the formless Absolute. Merging into it expresses final absorption—liberation depicted through devotional-ritual imagery.
Purity (amala), inner freedom (muktātmā), and unwavering identification with the Supreme culminate in liberation; the verse frames mokṣa as both mystical realization and reverent union with the divine symbol.