Shloka 54
Dāruvana-parīkṣā: Śaṅkara’s Test and the Linga’s Ritual-Theological Grounding
इह सर्वसमृद्धिः स्यान्नानासुखवहाधिका । परत्र परमा मुक्तिर्नात्र कार्या विचारणा
iha sarvasamṛddhiḥ syānnānāsukhavahādhikā | paratra paramā muktirnātra kāryā vicāraṇā
Here, in this very life, one attains complete prosperity, bringing manifold and superior joys; and hereafter, one attains the supreme liberation. Of this there is no need for any further deliberation.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: General phalaśruti: worship/recitation connected with Śiva (especially liṅga-upāsanā) yields both iha (worldly welfare) and paratra (mokṣa).
Significance: Assures bhukti–mukti: prosperity in life and supreme liberation after death; reinforces faith in Śiva-dharma without doubt.
FAQs
The verse declares Shiva-devotion (as taught in the Kotirudrasaṃhitā’s Jyotirlinga context) to be doubly fruitful: it grants well-being and auspiciousness in embodied life and culminates in paramā mukti—final release through Shiva’s grace—leaving no room for doubt.
In the Kotirudra section, the Linga/Jyotirlinga is the accessible saguna focus through which the devotee serves Shiva with faith. Such worship purifies bonds (pāśa), ripens devotion, and becomes a direct means to Shiva’s liberating favor, while also supporting dharmic prosperity.
The verse implies steadfast Shiva-upāsanā—especially Jyotirlinga/Linga worship with mantra-japa (notably the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with simple offerings and disciplined vrata-like conduct—aimed at both inner purification and liberation.