Shloka 15
व्यासो युगे षोडशे तु यदा देवो भविष्यति । तदा योगप्रदानाय गोकर्णो भविता ह्यहम्
vyāso yuge ṣoḍaśe tu yadā devo bhaviṣyati | tadā yogapradānāya gokarṇo bhavitā hyaham
When, in the sixteenth age, the divine sage Vyāsa is to appear, then—so that Yoga may be bestowed—I shall indeed become Gokarṇa.
Lord Shiva (speaking prophetically of his manifestation as Gokarṇa)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: This is a manifestation (avatāra-like) statement: Śiva will become Gokarṇa specifically ‘for bestowing Yoga’. While Gokarṇa is a famed Śiva-sthala, it is not one of the 12 Jyotirliṅgas; the verse functions as a yoga-mahātmyā seed for that place.
Significance: Association with yoga-upadeśa and Śiva’s grace (anugraha); pilgrimage framed as receiving yogic orientation and purification.
Role: teaching
Cosmic Event: Reference to the ‘sixteenth’ Vyāsa-cycle/age; Śiva’s descent as Gokarṇa for yoga-bestowal
FAQs
It presents Shiva as the compassionate Pati (Lord) who descends in an accessible form—Gokarṇa—to transmit liberating Yoga, guiding bound beings (paśu) beyond pāśa (bondage) toward mokṣa.
By announcing a concrete manifestation (Saguna) for the sake of teaching, the verse supports devotional approach to Shiva in form—often centered on linga-worship—through which seekers receive instruction and grace leading toward realization.
The verse emphasizes Yoga as a bestowed discipline—practically expressed through Shiva-upāsanā with mantra-japa (especially Om Namaḥ Śivāya), steady meditation, and disciplined living as taught by the Shaiva tradition.