Shloka 117
Vyāsotpatti-kathana
Account of the Birth/Origin of Vyāsa
स्त्रिया वा पुरुषेणापि नियमाल्लिंगसन्निधौ । वर्षं जप्तमिदं स्तोत्रं बुद्धिं विद्याञ्च वर्द्धयेत्
striyā vā puruṣeṇāpi niyamālliṃgasannidhau | varṣaṃ japtamidaṃ stotraṃ buddhiṃ vidyāñca varddhayet
Whether by a woman or by a man—observed with due discipline in the presence of the Śiva-liṅga—this hymn, when recited for a full year, increases discernment and sacred knowledge.
Suta Goswami (narrating the teaching and fruit of the stotra within Umāsaṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single kṣetra; it universalizes eligibility: women and men alike, with niyama, in liṅga-sannidhi, may undertake year-long japa of the stotra for growth of buddhi and vidyā.
Significance: Highlights inclusivity of Śiva-bhakti and the liṅga as universally accessible locus of grace; the ‘presence of the liṅga’ functions as the essential pilgrimage condition.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It teaches that regulated devotion (niyama) expressed through sustained stotra-japa before the Śiva-liṅga refines buddhi (discernment) and deepens vidyā (spiritual understanding), preparing the devotee for Śiva’s grace.
The verse places recitation specifically in liṅga-sannidhi, affirming the Liṅga as Saguna Śiva’s accessible form through which the devotee’s mind is steadied and knowledge ripens by proximity, worship, and repetition.
A disciplined, year-long practice of japa of this stotra in the presence of the Śiva-liṅga—ideally with regularity, purity of conduct, and focused attention during worship.