Shloka 31
शिवान्येषः तु देवानां बेरमात्रं प्रकल्पितम् । तत्तद्बेरं तु देवानां तत्तद्भोगप्रदं शुभम् । शिवस्य लिंगबेरत्वं भोगमोक्षप्रदं शुभम्
śivānyeṣaḥ tu devānāṃ beramātraṃ prakalpitam | tattadberaṃ tu devānāṃ tattadbhogapradaṃ śubham | śivasya liṃgaberatvaṃ bhogamokṣapradaṃ śubham
For the other gods, an icon (bera) is devised only as a form for worship; and each deity’s own icon auspiciously bestows the enjoyments proper to that deity. But for Śiva, the icon is the Liṅga itself—auspicious, granting both worldly enjoyment and final liberation (mokṣa).
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: The verse asserts the Liṅga as Śiva’s primary ‘bera’ (icon), capable of granting both bhoga and mokṣa; this aligns with Kāśī Viśvanātha’s Purāṇic identity as the liberating Liṅga where darśana/arcana is said to confer liberation.
Significance: Darśana and worship of the Liṅga is framed as uniquely mokṣa-bestowing (not merely granting finite enjoyments), supporting the Śaiva claim of Śiva as the supreme giver of both abhyudaya (worldly welfare) and niḥśreyasa (final good).
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It distinguishes Śiva’s Liṅga as not merely a symbolic image but the uniquely auspicious form through which Śiva grants both bhoga (rightful worldly fruition) and mokṣa (liberation), aligning with Shaiva Siddhanta’s aim of release from pāśa (bondage) through Pati’s grace.
It teaches that while other deities are approached through particular icons for specific results, Śiva is especially approached through Liṅga-worship, where the saguna support (Liṅga as bera) opens into the highest fruit—mokṣa—through Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
Regular Śiva-liṅga pūjā with devotion—supported by japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—is implied as a direct means for both dharmic well-being and liberation.