Shloka 12
शिवलिङ्गमाहात्म्यवर्णनम्
Narration of the Greatness of the Śiva-liṅga
ततश्च तप्तकातीरे कुमारेश्वर एव च । सिद्धेश्वरश्च विख्यातः सेनेशश्च तथा स्मृतः । रामेश्वर इति प्रोक्तः कुंभेशश्च परो मतः । नन्दीश्वरश्च पुंजेशः पूर्णायां पूर्णकस्तथा
tataśca taptakātīre kumāreśvara eva ca | siddheśvaraśca vikhyātaḥ seneśaśca tathā smṛtaḥ | rāmeśvara iti proktaḥ kuṃbheśaśca paro mataḥ | nandīśvaraśca puṃjeśaḥ pūrṇāyāṃ pūrṇakastathā
Then, on the bank of the Taptakā river, there is Kumāreśvara. There Siddheśvara is renowned, and Seneśa is also remembered. It is said to be Rāmeśvara, and Kumbheśa is regarded as supreme. Likewise there are Nandīśvara and Puñjeśa; and at Pūrṇā there is also Pūrṇaka.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Jyotirlinga: Rāmeśvara
Sthala Purana: Rāma installs and worships a Śiva-liṅga to atone for brahmahatyā-doṣa incurred in war and to obtain Śiva’s grace for crossing the ocean and victory; the liṅga becomes famed as Rāmeśvara, granting purification and siddhi to pilgrims.
Significance: Pāpa-kṣaya, fulfillment of vows, and readiness for liberation through Śiva’s grace; strongly linked with tīrtha-snāna and liṅga-abhisheka.
Mantra: ॐ नमः शिवाय
Type: panchakshara
Shakti Form: Umā
Role: liberating
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
This verse functions as a sacred itinerary: it enumerates Śiva’s celebrated liṅga-forms and kṣetras, teaching that approaching Śiva through consecrated names and places supports bhakti, purification, and steady remembrance of Pati (the Lord) as the giver of grace and liberation.
Each name (Kumāreśvara, Siddheśvara, Rāmeśvara, etc.) points to Saguna Śiva worshipped as the Liṅga in specific tīrthas. In Shaiva Siddhānta, such worship is a concrete means to receive Śiva’s anugraha (grace), which ultimately reveals His transcendent nature beyond form.
The practical takeaway is tīrtha-yātrā and liṅga-pūjā: offer water, bilva leaves, and reverent namaskāra while chanting the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with a mind fixed on Śiva as the supreme refuge.