Shloka 4
Harīśvara-liṅga Mahimā and the Origin-Context of Viṣṇu’s Sudarśana (हरिश्वरलिङ्गमहिमा तथा सुदर्शनप्राप्तिकथा)
सूत उवाच । श्रूयतां च ऋषिश्रेष्ठा हरीश्वरकथा शुभा । यतस्सुदर्शनं लब्धं विष्णुना शंकरात्पुरा
sūta uvāca | śrūyatāṃ ca ṛṣiśreṣṭhā harīśvarakathā śubhā | yatassudarśanaṃ labdhaṃ viṣṇunā śaṃkarātpurā
Sūta said: “Listen, O best of sages, to this auspicious account of Hari and Īśvara—how, in former times, Viṣṇu obtained the Sudarśana (discus) from Śaṅkara.”
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode here; the verse introduces the Hari–Īśvara narrative in which Viṣṇu receives Sudarśana as Śiva’s grace, a paradigmatic Purāṇic motif of Śiva as the ultimate giver of śakti/āyudha to other deities.
Significance: Hearing (śravaṇa) of Hari–Īśvara-kathā is framed as śubha (auspicious), functioning as a purifying upadeśa that turns the listener toward Śiva’s anugraha.
FAQs
The verse establishes Śiva (Śaṅkara/Īśvara) as the bestower of divine power and auspiciousness, showing that even Viṣṇu receives sanctified empowerment through Śiva’s grace—an emphasis aligned with Shaiva Siddhānta’s Pati (Lord) as the ultimate source of anugraha (grace).
By highlighting Śaṅkara as the giver of Sudarśana, the text points to Saguna Shiva as accessible and responsive to devotion; Linga-worship similarly approaches Śiva as the gracious Lord who grants protection, purification, and spiritual authority.
A practical takeaway is to cultivate reverent listening (śravaṇa) of Śiva-kathā and perform Śiva-pūjā with mantra-japa—especially the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—seeking Śiva’s anugraha for protection and inner clarity.