Shloka 31
नरकनामनिर्णयः
Catalogue of Narakas and Karmic Causes
माहेश्वरमवाप्नोति मध्याह्नादिषु संस्मरन् । प्रातर्निशि च संध्यायां क्षीणपापो भवेन्नरः
māheśvaramavāpnoti madhyāhnādiṣu saṃsmaran | prātarniśi ca saṃdhyāyāṃ kṣīṇapāpo bhavennaraḥ
By remembering Maheśvara (Śiva) at midday and at the other sacred junctions of time—at dawn, at night, and at twilight—a person attains the state of Maheśvara; his sins are worn away and he becomes purified.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s time-based remembrance practice as taught in the Uma Samhita discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a jyotirliṅga-specific passage; it prescribes kāla-sandhi smaraṇa (dawn, midday, twilight, night) as a daily sādhana culminating in Māheśvara-bhāva (attainment of Śiva’s state).
Significance: Transforms daily time-junctions into ‘inner tīrthas’: regular remembrance at sandhyās is said to exhaust sins and orient the pilgrim toward Śiva-nature (māheśvaratva).
Type: panchakshara
Role: nurturing
Offering: dipa
Cosmic Event: Sandhyā-kāla (junction-times) treated as spiritually potent thresholds for purification and grace
FAQs
It teaches that disciplined remembrance (smaraṇa) of Śiva at key daily junctions purifies karmic impurities (pāpa) and leads toward union/attainment of the Lord (māheśvaratva), aligning with the Shaiva view of Pati’s grace removing bondage.
Remembering Śiva at sandhyā-times naturally supports Saguna worship—such as Linga-darśana, japa, and offering water—because time-junctions are prescribed moments when devotion becomes concentrated and receptive to Śiva’s grace.
Perform sandhyā-time Śiva-smaraṇa: brief dhyāna and japa (e.g., Pañcākṣarī ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’), optionally with Tripuṇḍra bhasma and Rudrākṣa, especially at dawn and twilight for steady purification.