Shloka 1
Ghuśmeśa-jyotirliṅga-māhātmya
The Greatness of the Ghuśmeśa Jyotirlinga
सूत उवाच । अतः परं च घुश्मेशं ज्योतिर्लिंगमुदाहृतम् । तस्यैव च सुमाहात्म्यं श्रूयतामृषिसत्तमः
sūta uvāca | ataḥ paraṃ ca ghuśmeśaṃ jyotirliṃgamudāhṛtam | tasyaiva ca sumāhātmyaṃ śrūyatāmṛṣisattamaḥ
Sūta said: “Next, the Jyotirliṅga known as Ghuśmeśa is proclaimed. O best of sages, now listen to the great and auspicious glory of that very Lord.”
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Jyotirlinga: Ghṛṣṇeśvara
Sthala Purana: Transition verse introducing the next Jyotirliṅga: Ghuśmeśa/Ghṛṣṇeśvara. In the common māhātmya, a devoted woman (Ghuśmā) worships Śiva with steadfastness; through Śiva’s grace the liṅga becomes famed as Ghuśmeśa/Ghṛṣṇeśvara, exemplifying bhakti rewarded by anugraha.
Significance: Listening to and undertaking darśana of Ghṛṣṇeśvara is held to bestow purification and fulfillment; highlights Śiva’s responsiveness to simple, steady devotion.
FAQs
It formally begins the narration of the Ghuśmeśa Jyotirliṅga’s māhātmya, indicating that hearing (śravaṇa) the Lord’s glory is itself a bhakti-practice that purifies and turns the mind toward Śiva as Pati (the liberating Lord).
By naming Ghuśmeśa as a Jyotirliṅga, the text points to Saguna Śiva worship through the Liṅga—Śiva’s accessible, worship-worthy manifestation—through which devotees approach the transcendent (Nirguṇa) reality.
The immediate practice implied is attentive listening/recitation of the Jyotirliṅga māhātmya; traditionally this is paired with Liṅga-abhiṣeka, japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), and simple offerings with devotion.