Shloka 16
Sūtasya Punargamanaṃ Kāśyāṃ—Bhasma-Rudrākṣa-Tripuṇḍra-Vidhiśca
Sūta’s Return to Kāśī and the Observances of Bhasma, Rudrākṣa, and Tripuṇḍra
सूत कृतः । धन्या यूयं महाप्राज्ञा मुनयश्शंसितव्रताः । भवदर्थमिह प्राप्तोऽहन्तद्वृत्तमिदं शृणु
sūta kṛtaḥ | dhanyā yūyaṃ mahāprājñā munayaśśaṃsitavratāḥ | bhavadarthamiha prāpto'hantadvṛttamidaṃ śṛṇu
Sūta said: “Blessed indeed are you—greatly wise sages, acclaimed for your sacred vows. For your sake I have come here; now listen to this account as it happened.”
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: Establishes the adhikāra of the audience (vowed, wise sages) and the intention of narration ‘for your sake’, a hallmark of Purāṇic transmission where hearing (śravaṇa) itself is a liberating aid when oriented to Śiva-bhakti.
FAQs
It sanctifies śravaṇa (devout listening) and satsanga: the sages’ disciplined vows make them fit recipients, and the narrator frames the coming teaching as a grace-filled transmission meant to uplift and liberate.
Though it does not name the Liṅga directly, it establishes the devotional setting where Saguna Shiva’s leelas and teachings are heard with faith; such attentive listening is treated in Shaiva tradition as a form of worship that prepares the mind for Liṅga-bhakti.
The implied practice is śravaṇa with reverence—hearing sacred कथा with steadiness and vow-based discipline; as a takeaway, one may adopt regular Shiva Purana listening/recitation as a devotional observance supporting japa and meditation.