Shloka 23
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
बहुभिस्तत्र सुतपस्तप्तं सम्पूज्य तं विभुम् । लब्धा हि परमा सिद्धिरिहामुत्रापि सौख्यदा
bahubhistatra sutapastaptaṃ sampūjya taṃ vibhum | labdhā hi paramā siddhirihāmutrāpi saukhyadā
Dort wurden von vielen Devotees strenge Askeseübungen vollzogen; und nachdem sie jenen alldurchdringenden Herrn (Shiva) gebührend verehrt hatten, wurde wahrlich die höchste Vollendung erlangt, die Glückseligkeit sowohl in dieser Welt als auch in der nächsten schenkt.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: The kṣetra is portrayed as a tapas-and-pūjā field: many perform severe austerities and worship the all-pervading Lord, attaining paramā-siddhi that grants well-being here and hereafter—typical of a liṅga-māhātmya emphasizing both iha and amutra fruits.
Significance: Frames Gokarṇa-Mahābala as a place where disciplined tapas (inner purification) plus pūjā (outer devotion) yields the highest attainment and lasting sukha.
Role: teaching
FAQs
The verse teaches that sincere tapas (disciplined spiritual effort) joined with proper worship of Śiva leads to paramā-siddhi—supreme fulfillment—bringing both worldly well-being and otherworldly blessedness, culminating in liberation under Śiva’s grace.
In the Kotirudra context of Jyotirlinga pilgrimage, the ‘Vibhu’ is approached through saguna worship—devotees honor Śiva in a sanctified form/place (often the Linga), and that concrete devotion becomes a doorway to the highest realization.
It emphasizes tapas and sampūjā (complete worship): disciplined vows, japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and traditional Śaiva pūjā practices (such as bhasma/Tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa) performed with devotion at a holy Śiva shrine.