Shloka 21
Kedāreśvara-pratiṣṭhā: Nara-Nārāyaṇa’s Worship and Śiva’s Abiding as Jyoti
दृष्ट्वा रूपं नरस्यैव तथा नारायणस्य हि । केदारेश्वरशंभोश्च मुक्तभागी न संशयः
dṛṣṭvā rūpaṃ narasyaiva tathā nārāyaṇasya hi | kedāreśvaraśaṃbhośca muktabhāgī na saṃśayaḥ
Having beheld the forms of Nara and also of Nārāyaṇa, and having had the vision of Kedāreśvara Śambhu, one becomes a rightful recipient of liberation—there is no doubt.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Jyotirlinga glory to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: Kedāra is praised as the seat where the vision (darśana) of Nara and Nārāyaṇa (the ascetic divine pair) and Kedāreśvara Śiva grants mokṣa-eligibility; the mahātmya frames the place as a convergence of tapas and Śiva’s self-manifest grace.
Significance: Darśana of Kedāreśvara, together with the sanctity of the Nara-Nārāyaṇa tapas-field, makes the pilgrim ‘muktabhāgī’—fit for liberation—emphasizing Śiva’s anugraha overriding ordinary limitations.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that sacred darśana is transformative: seeing Nara–Nārāyaṇa and Kedāreśvara Śiva is praised as a direct cause for becoming fit for mokṣa, because such vision awakens devotion and invites Śiva’s liberating grace.
Kedāreśvara is approached as Saguna Śiva—Śiva graciously present in a worshipable form (Jyotirlinga). The Purana emphasizes that devotion expressed through pilgrimage, darśana, and pūjā to the Linga becomes a means for inner purification and liberation.
The takeaway is darśana combined with bhakti: visit (or mentally contemplate) Kedāreśvara, offer simple Linga-pūjā (water/bilva), and chant the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with the intention of seeking Śiva’s grace for liberation.