Shloka 13
शिवपुराण-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Śiva Purāṇa) / Śivapurāṇa Māhātmya
तावत्सर्वाणि क्षेत्राणि विवदंति महीतले । यावच्छिवपुराणं हि नोदेष्यति महीतले
tāvatsarvāṇi kṣetrāṇi vivadaṃti mahītale | yāvacchivapurāṇaṃ hi nodeṣyati mahītale
So long do all the sacred kṣetras and pilgrimage-places contend with one another upon the earth—until, indeed, the Śiva Purāṇa rises and manifests upon the earth.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not tied to one kṣetra; it claims that rivalry among holy ‘fields’ (kṣetras) is resolved when the Śiva Purāṇa manifests, functioning as the adjudicator of kṣetra-māhātmya through Śiva’s supremacy.
Significance: Frames all kṣetras as meaningful insofar as they lead the paśu (bound soul) toward Pati (Śiva) through right understanding and devotion.
FAQs
It proclaims the Śiva Purāṇa as a decisive revelation that harmonizes and surpasses competing claims of various tīrthas, directing seekers toward Śiva-bhakti and right knowledge as the sure path to liberation.
By elevating the Śiva Purāṇa’s authority, it implicitly elevates its prescribed forms of Saguna worship—especially devotion to Śiva as Liṅga—showing that scripturally guided worship unifies the merit of many sacred places.
Study/hearing (śravaṇa) of the Śiva Purāṇa with devotion, alongside steady Śiva-upāsanā such as japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), is the practical takeaway.