Shloka 3
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
पश्चिमे सागरे चैव महासिद्धेश्वरः स्मृतः । धर्मार्थकामदश्चैव तथा मोक्षप्रदोऽपि हि
paścime sāgare caiva mahāsiddheśvaraḥ smṛtaḥ | dharmārthakāmadaścaiva tathā mokṣaprado'pi hi
In the western ocean, that (Jyotirliṅga) is remembered as Mahāsiddheśvara. It bestows dharma, artha, and kāma—and indeed it also grants mokṣa.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: The liṅga in the western sea is praised as Mahāsiddheśvara (‘Lord of great siddhis’). The phala-śruti explicitly spans puruṣārthas—dharma, artha, kāma—and culminates in mokṣa, presenting the kṣetra as a complete ladder from worldly order to liberation.
Significance: Grants the four puruṣārthas; especially emphasizes mokṣa-pradatva, aligning tīrtha-yātrā with Śaiva Siddhānta’s goal of pāśa-kṣaya and Śiva’s anugraha leading to liberation.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse presents Mahāsiddheśvara as a Jyotirliṅga whose grace covers the full spectrum of human aims—dharma, artha, and kāma—yet culminates in mokṣa, showing that worldly well-being is ultimately meant to mature into liberation through Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
By naming a specific Jyotirliṅga, the text emphasizes Saguna Śiva worship through the Liṅga as a concrete locus of divine presence; devotion at such a sacred form is taught to yield both worldly fruits and, when approached with surrender and purity, the highest fruit of liberation.
Pilgrimage and Liṅga-pūjā with Śiva-mantra japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with offerings like water and bilva leaves, are the implied practices for seeking Śiva’s boons—including the inner orientation toward mokṣa.