Shloka 1
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
सूत उवाच । द्विजाः शृणुत सद्भक्त्या शिवलिंगानि तानि च । पश्चिमायां दिशायां वै यानि ख्यातानि भूतले
sūta uvāca | dvijāḥ śṛṇuta sadbhaktyā śivaliṃgāni tāni ca | paścimāyāṃ diśāyāṃ vai yāni khyātāni bhūtale
Sūta said: “O twice-born sages, listen with true devotion as I describe those sacred Śiva-liṅgas renowned upon the earth in the western direction.”
Suta Goswami
Sthala Purana: This is a saṃhitā-structuring ‘catalogue-introduction’ verse: Sūta announces a directional enumeration of celebrated Śiva-liṅgas in the western quarter. It functions as a textual map for pilgrimage and liṅga-māhātmya rather than naming a specific Jyotirliṅga in this verse.
Significance: Encourages śravaṇa with sad-bhakti as itself meritorious; frames geography as a devotional mandala where liṅgas are nodes of Śiva’s accessible presence.
FAQs
It frames tīrtha-yātrā and liṅga-darśana as acts of sadbhakti—devotion that purifies the soul (paśu) and turns the mind toward Pati (Śiva), preparing one for grace and liberation.
By introducing “Śiva-liṅgas famed on earth,” the text points to Saguna worship through the liṅga as a consecrated focus where devotees approach the transcendent (Nirguṇa) Śiva through a tangible, grace-bearing form.
The immediate practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) with faith; it naturally supports liṅga-upāsanā—reciting the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), offering water and bilva leaves, and maintaining a devotional pilgrimage mindset.