Shloka 97
Niṣādasya Bhillasya Itihāsaḥ — Śivarātri-vrata-prabhāvaḥ
The Hunter’s Account and the Efficacy of the Śivarātri Observance
अज्ञानात्स व्रतञ्चैतत्कृत्वा सायुज्यमाप्तवान् । किं पुनर्भक्तिसंपन्ना यान्ति तन्मयतां शुभाम्
ajñānātsa vratañcaitatkṛtvā sāyujyamāptavān | kiṃ punarbhaktisaṃpannā yānti tanmayatāṃ śubhām
Obwohl er dieses Gelübde unwissentlich vollzog, erlangte er Sāyujya — die Vereinigung mit Śiva. Um wie viel mehr gelangen dann die von Bhakti Erfüllten zum glückverheißenden Zustand der Tanmayatā, des völligen Aufgehens in Ihm.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Jyotirlinga-vrata fruits to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
FAQs
It teaches that the Shiva-oriented vow is so purifying that even an inadvertent observance can culminate in sāyujya (union with Śiva), while deliberate bhakti ripens into tanmayatā—steady, auspicious absorption in the Lord.
In the Kotirudra context of Jyotirlinga glory, the verse affirms that worship and vrata centered on Śiva’s manifest presence (Saguna Śiva as Linga/Jyotirlinga) leads the devotee beyond merit alone toward intimate union and absorption in Śiva.
The takeaway is faithful observance of a Śiva-vrata with bhakti—regular Linga/Jyotirlinga worship, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and disciplined purity—since devotion intensifies the fruit from mere merit to tanmayatā.