Shloka 52
गौतमविघ्नप्रकरणम्
Episode of Obstacles to Gautama; Gaṇeśa’s Appearing Through Misguided Worship
शतमेकोत्तरं चैव ब्रह्मणोऽस्य गिरेस्तथा । प्रक्रमणं विधायैवं शुद्धिस्ते च भविष्यति
śatamekottaraṃ caiva brahmaṇo'sya girestathā | prakramaṇaṃ vidhāyaivaṃ śuddhiste ca bhaviṣyati
Thus, having performed the circumambulation one hundred and one times—of this mountain and of Brahmā as well—your purification will indeed come to pass.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga-specific account; it intensifies the prāyaścitta by prescribing 101 pradakṣiṇās of the mountain and ‘Brahmā’ (likely Brahmā’s shrine/seat in the locale), culminating in assured śuddhi—purity as a fruit that ripens when discipline is completed.
Significance: Numerical pradakṣiṇā (101) signifies completeness beyond the hundred, sealing the vow; promises purification and renewed eligibility for Śiva-bhakti and ritual participation.
FAQs
The verse teaches that disciplined sacred circumambulation (pradakṣiṇā/parikrama) performed with faith becomes a means of śuddhi—purification of the devotee—aligning the individual (paśu) toward Shiva’s grace (Pati) and loosening bonds (pāśa).
Circumambulation is a core act of Saguna Shiva worship: by moving around the sacred locus (mountain/kshetra/linga), the devotee places Shiva at the spiritual center, expressing surrender and devotion—an embodied form of bhakti praised in Jyotirlinga pilgrimage contexts.
Perform 101 pradakṣiṇās (circumambulations) of the sacred site with a pure intention—ideally while remembering Shiva (e.g., mentally repeating the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—as a ritual discipline aimed at purification.