Shloka 34
उपमन्युतपः-निवारणप्रसङ्गः / Śiva restrains Upamanyu’s tapas (Śiva disguised as Indra)
स्वं रूपमेव भगवानास्थाय परमेश्वरः । दर्शयामास शिप्राय बालेन्दुकृतशेखरम्
svaṃ rūpameva bhagavānāsthāya parameśvaraḥ | darśayāmāsa śiprāya bālendukṛtaśekharam
Then the Blessed Lord, the Supreme Īśvara, abiding in His own divine form, revealed Himself to Śiprā—crowned with the tender crescent moon upon His head.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Śiva reveals Himself at Ujjayinī on the bank of the Śiprā, establishing His presence as Mahākāla to protect devotees and grant liberation; the river Śiprā becomes sanctified by His darśana.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is held to destroy fear of death/time, remove pāśa (bondage) through Śiva’s grace, and bestow auspiciousness and mokṣa-oriented merit.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It highlights Shiva’s anugraha (grace): the Supreme Pati, though transcendent, freely assumes a knowable form and grants direct darśana to the devotee, affirming that liberation begins with divine revelation and devotion.
While the Liṅga points to Shiva’s formless infinity (nirguṇa), this verse emphasizes Saguna darśana—Shiva manifesting with attributes like the crescent moon—showing that Liṅga-worship and personal-form devotion are complementary paths in Shaiva Siddhanta.
Meditate on Shiva as Candraśekhara (crescent-crested) while repeating the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”; approach worship with purity and steadiness, seeking darśana as the fruit of bhakti rather than mere ritual display.