Shloka 5
त्रिपुरवर्णनम् (Tripura-varṇanam) — “Description of Tripura”
ब्रह्मोवाच । एवमेतत्पुरा पृष्टो व्यासेन ऋषिसत्तमः । सनत्कुमारं प्रोवाच तदेव कथयाम्यहम्
brahmovāca | evametatpurā pṛṣṭo vyāsena ṛṣisattamaḥ | sanatkumāraṃ provāca tadeva kathayāmyaham
Brahmā said: “So indeed it was. Formerly, when the foremost of sages was questioned by Vyāsa, he instructed Sanatkumāra; that very account I shall now narrate.”
Brahma
Sthala Purana: This verse establishes a transmission lineage (Brahmā → Sanatkumāra; prompted by Vyāsa’s question). It is not a Jyotirliṅga sthala narrative.
FAQs
It emphasizes paramparā (authentic transmission): sacred Shaiva knowledge is preserved through realized sages and passed on intact, making the teaching trustworthy and spiritually potent for seekers.
Though not naming the Liṅga directly, it frames the coming narration as an authoritative Shaiva teaching lineage—preparing the listener to receive instructions about Saguna manifestations of Shiva and their saving power as revealed by the sages.
The implied practice is śravaṇa (devout listening) and smaraṇa (contemplative recollection) of the Purāṇic Shaiva teaching as received from a valid lineage, which supports bhakti and steadiness in mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī.