Shloka 10
महापातकिनश्चात्र समभ्यर्च्य महाबलम् । शिवलिंगं च गोकर्णे प्रयाताश्शांकरम्पदम्
mahāpātakinaścātra samabhyarcya mahābalam | śivaliṃgaṃ ca gokarṇe prayātāśśāṃkarampadam
Even those guilty of the gravest sins, having duly worshipped here the mighty Śiva-liṅga at Gokarṇa, attained Śaṅkara’s supreme abode.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: This verse belongs to the Gokarṇa-kṣetra māhātmya: worship of the powerful Śiva-liṅga at Gokarṇa grants even mahāpātakins access to Śaṅkara’s supreme state, emphasizing the kṣetra’s salvific potency and Śiva’s grace overriding karmic demerit when devotion and proper worship arise.
Significance: Removal of mahāpātaka-doṣa through liṅga-arcana; attainment of Śiva-loka / Śaṅkara-pada (liberation framed as proximity/identity with Śiva).
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It declares the purificatory power of sincere Śiva-liṅga worship at Gokarṇa: even the heaviest karmic burdens (mahāpātakas) are burned by Śiva’s grace, leading the devotee toward Śaṅkara’s abode—i.e., liberation through devotion and divine acceptance.
The liṅga is Saguna Śiva’s accessible, sanctifying form for worship. By honoring the liṅga at a sacred kṣetra like Gokarṇa, the devotee approaches the transcendent Pati (Śiva) through a concrete ritual focus, receiving grace that dissolves bondage (pāśa).
Perform devoted liṅga-pūjā at Gokarṇa—offering water, bilva leaves, and mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with repentance and steadiness—aiming at inner purification and surrender to Śiva.