Shloka 15
Bhairavaśāpavṛttāntaḥ
The Episode of Bhairava’s Curse and Consolation
य इदं शृणुयाद्भक्त्या श्रावयेद्वा समाहितः । स भुक्त्वेहाखिलान्भोगानन्ते मोक्षमवाप्नुयात्
ya idaṃ śṛṇuyādbhaktyā śrāvayedvā samāhitaḥ | sa bhuktvehākhilānbhogānante mokṣamavāpnuyāt
مَن سمع هذا بتعبّدٍ، أو تلاَه للناس أو جعله يُتلى عليهم بقلبٍ حاضر، نال في هذه الدنيا كلّ المتع المشروعة، ثم ينال في النهاية الخلاص (موكشا) بفضل نعمة الربّ شيفا.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Another phalaśruti: śravaṇa/śrāvaṇa (listening/causing recitation) yields bhukti (worldly enjoyments) and culminates in mokṣa—explicitly mapping Purāṇic devotion to liberation.
Significance: Establishes a practical upāya: bhakti-yukta śravaṇa with samādhāna (collected mind) brings iha-phala and para-phala; Siddhānta: paśu’s mala is attenuated and Śiva’s grace grants final release.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that bhakti expressed through śravaṇa (devout listening) and śrāvaṇa/pravacana (making others hear) purifies the soul and culminates in Shiva-bestowed moksha, while also harmonizing worldly life through dharmic enjoyment.
In the Shiva Purana, hearing and propagating Shiva’s līlā and praises is itself a form of Saguna Shiva-upāsanā; it supports devotion to the Linga by deepening remembrance, reverence, and surrender to Shiva as Pati (the liberating Lord).
Regular śravaṇa and pāraayaṇa (devotional listening/recitation) with samādhāna (focused mind)—especially on days like Mahāśivarātri—serves as a practical bhakti-sādhana that leads toward grace and liberation.