Shloka 47
घंटानादं चतुर्थ तु वदते परमेश्वरः । आकर्षस्सर्वदेवानां किं पुनर्मानुषा भुवि
ghaṃṭānādaṃ caturtha tu vadate parameśvaraḥ | ākarṣassarvadevānāṃ kiṃ punarmānuṣā bhuvi
Next, the Supreme Lord, Parameśvara, speaks of the fourth sound—the ringing of a bell. It draws to itself even all the gods; how much more, then, does it attract human beings upon the earth.
Lord Shiva (Parameśvara)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the bell-sound is presented as a nāda that exerts ākarṣaṇa (attraction), extending even to devas.
Significance: Supports temple praxis: ghaṇṭā-nāda as a liminal signal that ‘summons’ attention—devotional, psychological, and (in Purāṇic idiom) cosmic.
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches that sacred sound used in Shiva-worship has a real “ākarṣa” (drawing power): it gathers attention, purifies distraction, and turns the pashu-mind toward Pati (Śiva), supporting devotion and inner steadiness.
In Saguna worship of the Śiva-liṅga, ritual sound like the bell helps invoke presence and focus the mind on Śiva’s accessible form; the verse emphasizes that such worshipful sound naturally attracts beings toward the divine center.
Ring the bell at the start of Śiva-pūjā with mindful attention, then steady the breath and repeat a Śiva-mantra (e.g., the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), letting the sound cue one-pointed devotion.