Shloka 21
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
नानापिशाचा वेताला दैतेयाश्च महाबलाः । नागाश्शेषादयस्सर्वे सिद्धाश्च मुनयोऽखिलाः
nānāpiśācā vetālā daiteyāśca mahābalāḥ | nāgāśśeṣādayassarve siddhāśca munayo'khilāḥ
Many kinds of piśācas and vetālas, and the mighty Daityas; all the Nāgas beginning with Śeṣa; and likewise the Siddhas and all the sages—(all of them were present and assembled there).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The verse depicts a grand assembly at Gokarṇa around the Mahābala Śivaliṅga, where beings of all orders (including spirits, nāgas, siddhas, and sages) gather—signaling the kṣetra’s universal pull and Śiva’s lordship over all classes of beings.
Significance: Darśana in a kṣetra where even non-human and semi-divine beings congregate is portrayed as spiritually potent; it frames Gokarṇa as a place where diverse paśus (bound beings) turn toward Śiva.
FAQs
The verse highlights the universal magnetism of Shiva’s sacred sphere: beings of every order—spirits, asuras, nāgas, siddhas, and sages—are drawn to the power of a Shiva-kṣetra, indicating that Shiva’s presence transcends all categories of purity and status and can uplift all who approach with reverence.
In the Kotirudra context, such assemblies typically occur around a Jyotirlinga or a manifest (saguṇa) focus of Shiva’s grace. The Linga becomes the accessible center where diverse beings witness Shiva’s sovereignty and where devotion and darśana are possible even for those otherwise bound by fear, tamas, or conflict.
The practical takeaway is to seek Shiva’s presence through pilgrimage, darśana, and steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), supported by simple Shaiva observances like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa—practices traditionally linked with purification and protection in Shiva worship.