Shloka 50
Ghuśmā–Sudehā: Jealousy, Household Honor, and the Ethics of Śaiva Merit (गुश्मा–सुदेहा प्रसङ्गः)
सूत उवाच । इत्युक्त्वा च शिवस्तत्र लिंगरूपोऽभवत्तदा । घुश्मेशो नाम विख्यातः सरश्चैव शिवालयम्
sūta uvāca | ityuktvā ca śivastatra liṃgarūpo'bhavattadā | ghuśmeśo nāma vikhyātaḥ saraścaiva śivālayam
Sūta said: Having spoken thus, Śiva thereupon manifested in that place in the form of the Liṅga. He became renowned by the name Ghuśmeśa, and that sacred lake too became celebrated as Śiva’s own abode (Śivālaya).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Ghṛṣṇeśvara
Sthala Purana: After granting boons and restoring harmony in the Ghuśmā episode, Śiva manifests on the spot as a self-revealed Liṅga, becoming famed as Ghuśmeśa/Ghṛṣṇeśvara; the adjacent sacred lake is also sanctified as Śivālaya.
Significance: Darśana and pūjā of the manifested Liṅga are said to bestow auspiciousness, increase sukha, and confer Śiva’s grace (anugraha) through contact with the jyoti-sthāna.
FAQs
It affirms Śiva’s compassionate accessibility: the transcendent Pati (Lord) becomes manifest as the worshipable Liṅga at a tīrtha, sanctifying the place so devotees can approach Him through bhakti and receive grace leading toward liberation.
The verse explicitly states that Śiva ‘became Liṅga-formed’ there, showing the Saguna, approachable embodiment through which devotees perform pūjā, abhiṣeka, and remembrance—while recognizing the Liṅga as the sign (liṅga) of the Nirguna reality.
It implies tīrtha-sevā and Liṅga-upāsanā: visit the sacred site, perform abhiṣeka and worship with the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” and maintain steady devotion (smaraṇa) to Ghuśmeśa.