Shloka 10
रुद्राक्ष-माहात्म्य
Rudrākṣa Māhātmya — The Greatness of Rudraksha
सह्याद्रौ च तथा काश्यां दशेष्वन्येषु वा तथा । परानसह्यपापौघभेदनाञ्छ्रुतिनोदनात्
sahyādrau ca tathā kāśyāṃ daśeṣvanyeṣu vā tathā | parānasahyapāpaughabhedanāñchrutinodanāt
Whether in the Sahya mountain-range, or in Kāśī, or likewise at the other ten sacred seats, by the impelling power of holy hearing and recitation, even the most unbearable masses of sin are shattered.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī is praised as Śiva’s own city where mere śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana/paṭhana (recitation) of Śiva-kathā destroys even heavy pāpa; the verse also extends the same principle to Sahyādri and other famed Śiva-kṣetras.
Significance: Śravaṇa and recitation in Śiva-kṣetras is said to shatter pāpa-saṅghāta and turn the mind toward bhakti and mokṣa-oriented conduct.
Type: stotra
FAQs
It teaches that sins are not merely erased by travel alone, but are decisively broken when a devotee engages in śravaṇa—hearing Shiva’s sacred account and praise—especially in powerful tīrthas like Kāśī, aligning the soul toward Pati (Shiva) and liberation.
The verse underscores the purifying potency of devotion expressed through hearing and recitation, which commonly occurs in the presence of Shiva’s Saguna forms—especially the Linga in holy kṣetras—where bhakti and remembrance become concentrated and transformative.
Regular śravaṇa and pāṭha (hearing/recitation) of Shiva Purana or Shiva-stotras at a Shiva temple or tīrtha—ideally alongside japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—is the implied practice for pāpa-kṣaya.