Shloka 26
Kedāreśvara-pratiṣṭhā: Nara-Nārāyaṇa’s Worship and Śiva’s Abiding as Jyoti
एतद्वचस्समाख्यातं यत्पृष्टमृषिसत्तमाः । श्रुत्वा पापं हरेत्सर्वं नात्र कार्या विचारणा
etadvacassamākhyātaṃ yatpṛṣṭamṛṣisattamāḥ | śrutvā pāpaṃ haretsarvaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā
O best of sages, I have thus declared the teaching you asked about. Merely hearing it removes all sin—of this there is no need for any further doubt or deliberation.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: General phalaśruti: the narrated kṣetra-māhātmya itself is salvific; śravaṇa (hearing) is presented as a direct purifier removing pāpa.
Significance: Establishes śravaṇa as a primary sādhana: hearing the māhātmya destroys sin and prepares the bound soul (paśu) for Śiva’s grace.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It declares śravaṇa (devout hearing) of Shiva’s sacred account as intrinsically purifying: the narrative itself carries Shiva’s grace, dissolving pāpa and strengthening bhakti without requiring skeptical re-analysis.
In the Kotirudra context—closely tied to Jyotirlinga glory—the verse upholds that hearing Shiva-kathā is a direct form of Saguna Shiva-upāsanā: the devotee approaches Shiva through His manifest deeds, tīrthas, and linga-presence.
Regular listening/recitation of Shiva Purana (kathā-śravaṇa), especially in a vrata setting (e.g., Mahāśivarātri), as a primary sādhana; it may be paired with mantra-japa like “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” though this verse emphasizes hearing itself.