Shloka 70
महाकालज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्ये चन्द्रसेन-चिन्तामणि-प्रसङ्गः
Mahākāla Jyotirliṅga Māhātmya: The Episode of King Candrasena and the Cintāmaṇi
सूत उवाच । एवमुक्त्वाञ्जनीसूनुः शिवरूपो हरीश्वरः । सर्वान्राज्ञश्चन्द्रसेनं कृपादृष्ट्या ददर्श ह
sūta uvāca | evamuktvāñjanīsūnuḥ śivarūpo harīśvaraḥ | sarvānrājñaścandrasenaṃ kṛpādṛṣṭyā dadarśa ha
Sūta said: Having spoken thus, Anjanī’s son—Hariśvara, bearing the very form of Śiva—then looked upon everyone, and upon King Candrasena as well, with a compassionate gaze.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Ujjayinī’s king Candrasena is blessed in the Mahākāla-kṣetra; in Śaiva tradition, Mahākāla protects devotees and grants grace through compassionate regard, culminating in liberation.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is famed for removing fear of death/time (kāla) and granting protection and spiritual uplift; the verse’s ‘kṛpā-dṛṣṭi’ mirrors the kṣetra’s grace theology.
FAQs
The verse highlights śiva-kṛpā (Shiva’s grace): liberation and protection are ultimately bestowed when the Lord turns His compassionate awareness toward the devotee, indicating that divine mercy completes what devotion begins.
By describing a visible divine form (śivarūpa) that grants a compassionate ‘darśana,’ it supports Saguna worship—approaching Shiva through form, presence, and grace—an essential devotional mood also expressed in Jyotirlinga pilgrimage traditions of the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā.
A practical takeaway is to seek Shiva’s ‘darśana’ through daily Linga worship with the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), cultivating humility and receptivity to grace; this inner attitude is the core ‘practice’ implied by the compassionate gaze.