Shloka 52
बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्
Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause
विधवानां निवृत्तानां रसलिंगं विशिष्यते । बाल्येवायौवनेवापि वार्द्धकेवापि सुव्रताः
vidhavānāṃ nivṛttānāṃ rasaliṃgaṃ viśiṣyate | bālyevāyauvanevāpi vārddhakevāpi suvratāḥ
For widows and for those who have withdrawn from worldly life, the worship of the Rasa-Liṅga is especially commended. O you of good vows, whether in childhood, in youth, or even in old age, it remains an excellent support for devotion to Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: As Viśveśvarasaṃhitā is centered on Kāśī, the background assumption is Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha as the paradigmatic Liṅga granting liberation; this verse, however, speaks generally of eligibility and suitable liṅga-types rather than a single shrine-origin episode.
Significance: Supports bhakti and steadiness of worship for those in nivṛtti (withdrawal) and socially vulnerable states (e.g., widows), aligning with Śiva’s role as refuge and giver of anugraha.
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva’s grace through Liṅga-upāsanā is not restricted by age or life-situation; even those who have withdrawn from worldly life can take the Rasa-Liṅga as a focused support for bhakti and liberation-oriented practice.
The Liṅga is the accessible Saguna focus through which the devotee approaches the transcendent Śiva; the verse highlights the Rasa-Liṅga as a particularly commended form of that worship for steady, disciplined devotion.
Regular Liṅga-pūjā with simple offerings and japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), undertaken consistently in any stage of life, is the practical takeaway.