Shloka 158
बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्
Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause
प्रकाशयेत्तु भक्तानां शिवमाहात्म्यमेव हि । रहस्यं शिवमंत्रस्य शिवो जानाति नापरः
prakāśayettu bhaktānāṃ śivamāhātmyameva hi | rahasyaṃ śivamaṃtrasya śivo jānāti nāparaḥ
One should indeed reveal to devotees the very glory of Śiva. For the innermost secret of Śiva’s mantra is known only to Śiva—none other.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single jyotirliṅga; it distinguishes between (a) publicly shareable Śiva-māhātmya for bhaktas and (b) the mantra’s inner rahasya reserved to Śiva and properly initiated circles.
Significance: Encourages kīrtana/śravaṇa of Śiva’s glory for devotees while preserving the sanctity of mantra-prayoga—balancing outreach and esotericism.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It teaches that Shiva’s glory should be shared openly with sincere devotees, while the mantra’s deepest inner mystery is ultimately realized by Shiva’s grace and direct experience, not merely by argument.
By encouraging the proclamation of Shiva’s Mahatmya, it supports Saguna upasana—devotional worship of Shiva (including the Linga) as the accessible form through which the seeker is led toward the supreme truth.
Regular japa of Shiva’s mantra (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with bhakti and reverence, sharing Shiva’s teachings with qualified devotees, and seeking the mantra’s ‘rahasya’ through disciplined practice and grace.