Shloka 1
सूत उवाच । श्रीमतीक्ष्वाकुवंशे हि राजा परमधार्मिकः । आसीन्मित्रसहो नाम श्रेष्ठस्सर्वधनुष्मताम्
sūta uvāca | śrīmatīkṣvākuvaṃśe hi rājā paramadhārmikaḥ | āsīnmitrasaho nāma śreṣṭhassarvadhanuṣmatām
Sūta said: In the illustrious Ikṣvāku lineage there was a king, supremely righteous, named Mitrasaha—foremost among all archers.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: The māhātmya shifts into itihāsa-style narration: the introduction of King Mitrasaha in the Ikṣvāku line sets the karmic-human stage upon which Śiva’s grace through the liṅga will later operate.
Significance: Frames exemplary dharma (paramadhārmika king) as the ethical ground that makes Śiva-bhakti and liṅga-worship fruitful; in Siddhānta, right conduct supports receptivity to anugraha.
FAQs
It establishes a dharmic king as the narrative vessel—signaling that devotion and righteousness prepare one to receive Lord Shiva’s grace, a recurring Shaiva Siddhanta theme where Pati (Shiva) uplifts the devoted soul (paśu) through dharma and bhakti.
Though the Linga is not named here, Kotirudra Saṃhitā typically frames such royal lineages as entering contact with Jyotirlinga glory; the verse sets up a context where Saguna Shiva’s compassionate interventions become accessible to a worthy devotee.
The takeaway is to cultivate dharma alongside Shiva-bhakti—daily remembrance of Shiva (e.g., japa of the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) as the inner discipline that supports righteous living.