Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 4
योगाचार्यरूपेण शर्वावताराः (Śarva’s manifestations as Yoga-Teachers)
गोकर्णश्च गुहावासी शिखण्डी चापरः स्मृतः । जटामाली चाट्टहासो दारुको लांगुली तथा
gokarṇaśca guhāvāsī śikhaṇḍī cāparaḥ smṛtaḥ | jaṭāmālī cāṭṭahāso dāruko lāṃgulī tathā
Gokarṇa, der Höhlenbewohner (Guhāvāsī), Śikhaṇḍī und ein weiterer, so überliefert; Jaṭāmālī, Aṭṭahāsa, Dāruka und ebenso Lāṅgulī — diese werden als verehrungswürdige Namen/Aspekte Śivas genannt.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Sthala Purana: The name Gokarṇa evokes the famed Śiva-kṣetra where the Ātma-liṅga episode is told in regional sthala traditions (Rāvaṇa’s liṅga, Gaṇeśa’s intervention), though this verse itself is a name-list rather than a full māhātmya.
Significance: Remembering/visiting Gokarṇa is traditionally linked with liṅga-darśana and purification through kṣetra-vāsa and snāna.
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
This verse presents a sequence of Śiva-related names/epithets that function as objects of remembrance (smaraṇa) and recitation (japa). In a Śaiva Siddhānta orientation, such naming points to Pati (Śiva) as the liberating Lord: contemplating His qualities—ascetic power, cosmic awe, and compassionate presence—purifies the paśu (bound soul) and loosens pāśa (bondage).
Although the verse lists names rather than describing a liṅga directly, it supports saguna-upāsanā: devotees approach the formless Supreme through meaningful forms, titles, and attributes. Reciting these nāmas while worshipping the Śiva-liṅga integrates inner remembrance with outer pūjā, aligning devotion and awareness toward Śiva as Pati.
A practical takeaway is nāma-japa: recite these epithets (optionally along with the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) during daily Śiva-pūjā or on Mahāśivarātri. Pairing japa with vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa—where customary—supports steadiness of mind and devotion to Śiva.