Shloka 42
मित्रसह-राज्ञो रक्षत्व-शापकथा — The Curse that Turns King Mitrasaha into a Rakshasa
Vasiṣṭha’s Śāpa Narrative
तत्र स्थितिर्न पापानां महद्भ्यो महतामपि । महाबलाभिधानेन शिवः संनिहितः स्वयम्
tatra sthitirna pāpānāṃ mahadbhyo mahatāmapi | mahābalābhidhānena śivaḥ saṃnihitaḥ svayam
In that sacred place, sinners find no footing—nor can even the mightiest among the great remain there in pride. For by the very name “Mahābala,” Lord Śiva Himself abides there, personally present.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Gokarṇa is characterized as a place where pāpa cannot ‘stand’ (no sthiti for sinners). Śiva is said to be personally present there under the name Mahābala—emphasizing direct sannidhya (immediacy of grace) rather than mere symbolic presence.
Significance: Darśana and worship at Mahābala-sannidhi are portrayed as exceptionally potent for mahāpātaka-śamana and for breaking the inertia of sinful tendencies; the kṣetra itself is a moral-spiritual ‘filter’.
Mantra: महाबलाभिधानेन शिवः संनिहितः स्वयम्
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
The verse teaches that where Śiva is directly present, pāpa (sin) and ahaṅkāra (pride of power) cannot endure; the tirtha becomes a purifier because Pati (Śiva) is the living sanctifier, not merely a symbol.
Koṭirudrasaṃhitā emphasizes pilgrimage and Jyotirliṅga glory: the Liṅga is Saguna Śiva’s accessible form, and this verse underscores that such a seat is potent because Śiva is ‘svayam saṁnihita’—personally abiding through that sacred name and form.
Approach the shrine with humility, perform Śiva-darśana and Liṅga-pūjā, and repeat the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with repentance and surrender—since sin and pride are specifically said to lose their hold in Śiva’s presence.