Shloka 16
बाणस्य शोकः शिवस्मरणं च — Bāṇa’s Grief and the Turn to Śiva-Remembrance
सनत्कुमार उवाच । इत्याकर्ण्य वचश्शंम्भोर्दैत्येन्द्रेण तदा मुने । बाणेन संवृणीतोऽभूद्वरस्तु व्रणरोपणे
sanatkumāra uvāca | ityākarṇya vacaśśaṃmbhordaityendreṇa tadā mune | bāṇena saṃvṛṇīto'bhūdvarastu vraṇaropaṇe
Sanatkumāra said: “O sage, having thus heard the words of Śambhu, the lord of the Daityas at that time was overcome by Bāṇa; yet the boon remained effective in the healing of his wounds.”
Sanatkumara
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Vaidyanātha
Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha
Sthala Purana: This verse’s motif—Śiva’s boon operating as healing (vraṇa-ropaṇa)—aligns with the Vaidyanātha (‘Lord as Physician’) paradigm: Śiva as the divine healer who removes the afflictions of embodied beings; while not a direct Jyotirliṅga origin account here, it resonates strongly with that sthala identity.
Significance: Seeking relief from disease and suffering; symbolic healing of karmic wounds through Śiva’s prasāda.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It shows that Śiva’s word (His boon) functions as an expression of divine order: even amid conflict and karma unfolding, Śiva’s grace operates in a specific, dharmic way—here, as the power to heal wounds—revealing Him as both Lord of battle and Lord of restoration.
The verse emphasizes Saguna Śiva (Śambhu) as the personal Lord whose spoken grace protects devotees through concrete effects. In Linga-worship, devotees approach this same Śiva as the ever-present refuge whose śakti can remove afflictions and restore wholeness, even when outer circumstances remain turbulent.
A practical takeaway is to meditate on Śiva as the healer while repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and applying vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) with the intent of inner purification—seeking not mere victory, but Śiva’s restoring grace and steadiness in adversity.