Shloka 44
Liṅga-pratiṣṭhāvidhiḥ — Installation Standards and Auspicious Parameters for Liṅga Worship
एकद्वित्रिचतुःकोट्याब्रह्मादीनां पदं व्रजेत् । जपेदक्षरलक्षंवा अक्षराणां पृथक्पृथक्
ekadvitricatuḥkoṭyābrahmādīnāṃ padaṃ vrajet | japedakṣaralakṣaṃvā akṣarāṇāṃ pṛthakpṛthak
Durch das Verrichten von Japa im Maß von ein, zwei, drei oder vier Koṭi gelangt man zu dem erhabenen Stand, den selbst Brahmā und die anderen Götter erreichen. Oder man soll hunderttausend Wiederholungen der Silben vollziehen und jede Silbe einzeln rezitieren.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā setting, Kāśī/Viśveśvara is upheld as the locus where Śiva’s grace is especially accessible; the verse’s promise of attaining the ‘padam’ of Brahmā and other devas through japa aligns with Kāśī’s fame as a mokṣa-kṣetra where Śiva grants liberation by upadeśa.
Significance: Japa and nāma/mantra-sādhana performed with niyama is said to mature quickly into Śiva-pada (Śiva-sāyujya/Śiva-loka orientation), especially when undertaken in a tīrtha-kṣetra like Kāśī.
FAQs
It teaches that disciplined mantra-japa, done in vast and steady measures, elevates the soul to a divine spiritual station comparable to that of the highest deities, emphasizing purification and grace through sustained devotion to Shiva.
In the Vidyeshvara context, japa is a primary limb of Saguna Shiva worship—often performed alongside Linga-upasana—where repetition of Shiva’s mantra focuses the mind, purifies the bonds (pāśa), and turns the devotee toward Pati (Shiva) with single-pointed bhakti.
It prescribes mantra-japa in specific counts (crores) and also a method of repeating the mantra syllable-by-syllable (akṣaraśaḥ), a meditative technique for deeper concentration and correctness in recitation.