Shloka 67
Śiva–Arjuna Yuddha and the Subjugation of Pride (Śiva-parīkṣā)
इत्युक्तस्ते किराताह्वोवतारश्शंकस्य वै । तं श्रुत्वा श्रावयन्वापि सर्वान्कामानवाप्नुयात्
ityuktaste kirātāhvovatāraśśaṃkasya vai | taṃ śrutvā śrāvayanvāpi sarvānkāmānavāpnuyāt
Thus has been spoken the incarnation of Śaṅkara known as the Kirāta. Whoever hears this account—or causes others to hear it as well—attains the fulfillment of all desired aims.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Reference to Śiva’s Kirāta-avatāra (the hunter form) known from pan-Śaiva narrative memory: Śiva assumes a forest-hunter guise to test and bless a devotee, revealing His supremacy and granting boons; here the emphasis is on śravaṇa/śrāvaṇa-phala (hearing/reciting merit).
Significance: Śravaṇa and pravacana of Śiva’s avatāra-kathā are said to yield sarva-kāma-siddhi (fulfillment of aims), a standard Purāṇic phala-śruti that also implies eligibility for higher puruṣārthas when desire is refined toward mokṣa.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It is a phalaśruti stating that śravaṇa (hearing) and śrāvaṇa (enabling others to hear) of Śiva’s avatāra-kathā generates merit and grace, leading to the fulfillment of one’s aims—ultimately directing the devotee toward Śiva’s anugraha (liberating favor).
By praising the benefits of hearing Śaṅkara’s incarnate deeds, the verse supports Saguna Śiva-upāsanā—approaching the Supreme through His accessible forms and narratives, which naturally deepen devotion that culminates in steadiness in Linga-worship and remembrance of Śiva.
Regular śravaṇa of Shiva Purana kathā, and śrāvaṇa through recitation/reading aloud to others (satsaṅga, pravacana), as a simple bhakti-sādhana; it can be paired with japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” before or after the reading.