Shloka 18
शिवपुराण-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Śiva Purāṇa) / Śivapurāṇa Māhātmya
अस्य शैवपुराणस्य कीर्तनश्रवणाद्द्विजाः । फलं वक्तुं न शक्नोमि कार्त्स्न्येन मुनिसत्तमाः
asya śaivapurāṇasya kīrtanaśravaṇāddvijāḥ | phalaṃ vaktuṃ na śaknomi kārtsnyena munisattamāḥ
O twice-born ones, O best of sages—through the recitation and the hearing of this Śaiva Purāṇa, the merit that arises is such that I cannot describe, in full, its fruit in its entirety.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: No local shrine narrative; the ‘fruit beyond full description’ aligns with Purāṇic phalaśruti style, treating the text itself as a salvific locus.
Significance: Promises immeasurable puṇya from kīrtana-śravaṇa; in Siddhānta terms, śravaṇa is a gateway to jñāna that culminates in Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It declares that śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana (devotional recitation) of the Śiva Purāṇa generate immeasurable puṇya and bhakti, beyond complete verbal description—pointing to Shiva’s boundless grace as the ultimate giver of liberation.
By praising hearing and recitation as supremely fruitful, the verse supports Saguna upāsanā—devotion to Lord Śiva with attributes—where scripture-hearing becomes a direct act of worship akin to honoring the Liṅga through praise and remembrance.
Regular śravaṇa and pāṭha (listening and recitation) of the Śiva Purāṇa as a devotional sādhana—ideally accompanied by mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to deepen Shiva-bhakti.