Shloka 133
Śiva-nāma-sahasraka-kathana
The Recital/Teaching of the Thousand Names of Śiva
ततः स कौतुकी शम्भुश्चकार चरितं द्विजाः । महाद्भुतं सुखकरं तदेव शृणुतादरात्
tataḥ sa kautukī śambhuścakāra caritaṃ dvijāḥ | mahādbhutaṃ sukhakaraṃ tadeva śṛṇutādarāt
Then Śambhu, stirred by divine playfulness, enacted a sacred episode, O twice-born sages—most wondrous and joy-bestowing. Listen to that very account with reverent attention.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Naṭarāja
Sthala Purana: This is a narrative hinge: Śambhu, in līlā (kautuka), initiates a wondrous episode. It does not specify a jyotirliṅga site but signals an impending ‘carita’ (sacred act) often used in sthala-purāṇa style storytelling.
Significance: Hearing (śravaṇa) of Śiva’s līlā is presented as ‘sukhakara’—joy-bestowing—supporting the Purāṇic claim that attentive listening itself is a sādhanā leading toward grace.
FAQs
It highlights śravaṇa (reverent listening) as a direct bhakti-practice: hearing Śiva’s wondrous deeds with adara purifies the mind and turns the soul toward Pati (Śiva), loosening pāśa (bondage) and supporting liberation.
By presenting Śambhu’s “carita” as joy-bestowing and worthy of attentive hearing, the text directs devotees to approach Saguna Śiva—whose līlā is accessible through narration, pilgrimage, and Linga-worship—so devotion ripens into grace.
Practice daily śravaṇa and kīrtana of Śiva-kathā with reverence, ideally alongside japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple worship such as offering water to the Linga.