Shloka 5
नन्दिकेश्वरशिवलिङ्गमाहात्म्यवर्णनम्
The Māhātmya of the Nandikeśvara Śiva-liṅga
पूर्वकर्मप्रभावेन पत्नी सा हि द्विजन्मनः । सुव्रतापि च विप्रेन्द्रा बालवैधव्यमागता
pūrvakarmaprabhāvena patnī sā hi dvijanmanaḥ | suvratāpi ca viprendrā bālavaidhavyamāgatā
By the force of her former karma, she—the wife of that twice-born—though virtuous and steadfast in noble vows, O best of brahmins, fell into widowhood while still young.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; karmic causality (pūrvakarma) drives the heroine into suffering, preparing the ground for Śiva’s anugraha through liṅga-arcana.
Significance: Teaches that duḥkha born of karma can become the turning-point toward Śiva-upāsanā and eventual grace.
FAQs
It emphasizes karma’s continuity across lives: even a virtuous person may face suffering due to prior deeds, and such trials become a ground for turning to Shiva as Pati (the liberating Lord) beyond the bonds of fate.
Kotirudra narratives commonly move from human suffering to refuge in Shiva’s sacred presence (Jyotirlinga/Linga). The verse sets the karmic backdrop that motivates seeking Saguna Shiva’s grace for purification and upliftment.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a vow of purity and remembrance of Shiva, as a Shaiva remedy for karmic sorrow.