Shloka 48
जालन्धरस्य दूतप्रेषणम् — Jalandhara Sends an Envoy to Kailāsa
The Provocation of Śiva
त्वं कीर्तिमुखसंज्ञो हि भव मद्द्वारकस्सदा । महागणो महावीरस्सर्वदुष्टभयंकरः
tvaṃ kīrtimukhasaṃjño hi bhava maddvārakassadā | mahāgaṇo mahāvīrassarvaduṣṭabhayaṃkaraḥ
“You shall indeed be known as Kīrtimukha. Remain always as the guardian of My doorway— a great gaṇa, a mighty hero, and a terror that strikes fear into all the wicked.”
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Etiological charter for the kīrtimukha emblem: Śiva names the being and installs him as dvārapāla, explaining why kīrtimukha appears above temple doors as a protective face.
Significance: Entering Śiva’s temple under the kīrtimukha signifies leaving ego and wickedness outside; the guardian-face is a reminder of dharma and restraint.
FAQs
It portrays Śiva as Pati (the sovereign Lord) who appoints protective divine forces to restrain adharma; Kīrtimukha symbolizes the consuming of egoic, wicked impulses at the threshold of the sacred.
As Saguna Śiva, the Lord actively protects His abode and devotees; in Linga-worship this is remembered as Śiva’s living guardianship—approaching the Linga with purity while hostile tendencies are kept at the ‘door’.
Before japa or Linga-pūjā, mentally place Śiva as the protector at the threshold of the mind, then recite the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a vow to abandon duṣṭa (harmful) actions; applying Tripuṇḍra/bhasma can be taken as a reminder of inner purification.