Shloka 44
Kāla-vañcana (Overcoming/Outwitting Time) and the Pañcabhūta Basis of the Body
तस्मादुत्पद्यते शब्दो मृ त्सप्तभिर्दिनैः । स वै नवविधो देवि तं ब्रवीमि यथार्थतः । प्रथमं नदते घोषमात्मशुद्धिकरं परम् । सर्वव्याधिहरं नादं वश्याकर्षणमुत्तमम्
tasmādutpadyate śabdo mṛ tsaptabhirdinaiḥ | sa vai navavidho devi taṃ bravīmi yathārthataḥ | prathamaṃ nadate ghoṣamātmaśuddhikaraṃ param | sarvavyādhiharaṃ nādaṃ vaśyākarṣaṇamuttamam
Therefore, O Goddess, within seven days a sound arises from that clay. That sound is indeed of nine kinds; I shall describe it to you truthfully. First it resounds as “ghoṣa”, a reverberant tone supremely purifying to the self; it is a nāda that removes all diseases and is excellent for drawing beings under beneficent influence and attraction.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the passage functions as a yogic-ritual manual of nāda arising from a clay device/practice over seven days, enumerating nine nādas and their siddhi-like effects.
Significance: Emphasizes inner purification and healing through Śiva-taught nāda-yoga rather than site-based merit.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Cosmic Event: Seven-day maturation motif (saptāha) as a disciplined temporal container for yogic transformation
FAQs
It presents nāda (spiritual sound) as a Shiva-given means of inner purification: the first manifestation, ghoṣa, is said to cleanse the self and support well-being, aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta’s emphasis on purification (śuddhi) as a step toward Shiva-realization.
In Saguna Shiva worship, external aids (like Linga-pūjā and mantra) lead the devotee inward; this verse highlights the inward counterpart—nāda—through which the mind becomes purified and steady, making devotion and meditation on Shiva more effective.
A meditative practice of listening inwardly to nāda (sound-current) is implied—quiet sitting with mantra-japa and focused attention on the arising inner resonance, cultivating purification and steadiness rather than mere sensory sound.