Shloka 33
मित्रसह-राज्ञो रक्षत्व-शापकथा — The Curse that Turns King Mitrasaha into a Rakshasa
Vasiṣṭha’s Śāpa Narrative
अभिसृत्य स राजेन्द्रो गौतमं विमलाशयम् । तद्दर्शनाप्तकिंचित्कः प्रणनाम मुहुर्मुहुः । अथ तत्पृष्टकुशलो दीर्घमुष्णं च निश्वसन् । तत्कृपादृष्टिसंप्राप्तसुख प्रोवाच तं नृपः
abhisṛtya sa rājendro gautamaṃ vimalāśayam | taddarśanāptakiṃcitkaḥ praṇanāma muhurmuhuḥ | atha tatpṛṣṭakuśalo dīrghamuṣṇaṃ ca niśvasan | tatkṛpādṛṣṭisaṃprāptasukha provāca taṃ nṛpaḥ
Approaching Gautama, pure in mind, the king found some relief merely by beholding him and bowed again and again. Then, when the sage asked of his welfare, the ruler, breathing out long and burning sighs, spoke—comforted by the compassionate glance of that holy seer.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode in this verse; the motif is darśana of a purified seer (Gautama) giving immediate relief through kṛpā-dṛṣṭi, anticipating later Purāṇic patterns where darśana of Śiva/His liṅga grants śānti.
Significance: Darśana of a realized Śaiva/ṛṣi functions as a conduit of Śiva’s anugraha, easing pāśa (bondage) such as guilt, fear, and sin-impressions (pāpa-saṃskāra).
FAQs
It highlights śraddhā and śaraṇāgati: even before rituals or discourse, the devotee’s suffering begins to dissolve through satpuruṣa-darśana and the compassionate presence of a realized sage—an expression of grace that supports the soul’s return to Pati (Shiva).
In Kotirudra narratives, guidance toward Jyotirliṅga worship often comes through saints and ṛṣis; the king’s repeated prostrations and the sage’s mercy show the bhakti disposition needed to approach Saguna Shiva through liṅga-upāsanā with humility and receptivity.
The verse suggests pranāma (repeated prostration) and contemplative settling of the breath in distress; as a Shaiva takeaway, one may add japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while seeking the blessings (anugraha) of Shiva’s devotees.