Shloka 5
Kedāreśvara-pratiṣṭhā: Nara-Nārāyaṇa’s Worship and Śiva’s Abiding as Jyoti
इत्युक्ते च तदा । तेन नरो नारायणस्स्वयम् । ऊचतुर्वचनं तत्र लोकानां हितकाम्यया
ityukte ca tadā | tena naro nārāyaṇassvayam | ūcaturvacanaṃ tatra lokānāṃ hitakāmyayā
When this was said, then Nara and Nārāyaṇa themselves spoke words there, desiring the welfare of all beings.
Suta Goswami (narrating the episode; the immediate speakers in the verse are Nara and Narayana)
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Nara–Nārāyaṇa respond to Śiva’s boon-offer with a loka-hita intention—seeking a form of worship-access for all, a common purāṇic rationale for establishing enduring divine presence.
Significance: Frames devotion as altruistic: the highest boon is that which benefits the worlds by enabling ongoing worship and grace-flow.
FAQs
It highlights the dharmic ideal of loka-hita—true spiritual instruction is given not for display, but for the welfare and upliftment of all beings, aligning action and speech with the highest good.
In the Kotirudrasaṃhitā, such benevolent instruction commonly frames the path toward Shiva’s grace through sacred narratives and pilgrimage; the verse signals an authoritative teaching moment that supports Saguna Shiva devotion as a means to universal welfare.
The verse itself does not prescribe a specific rite; the takeaway is to receive and transmit Shiva-centered teachings with a pure intention of loka-hita, typically expressed through japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya), vrata, and tīrtha-yātrā in this Samhita’s context.