Shloka 22
Brahmā–Viṣṇu-Pūjā: Upacāra-Vistāra and Īśvara’s Prasāda
Offerings in Shiva Worship and the Lord’s Grace
अत्र तीर्थं च बहुधा भविष्यति महत्तरम् । मुक्तिरप्यत्र जंतूनां वासेन मरणेन च
atra tīrthaṃ ca bahudhā bhaviṣyati mahattaram | muktirapyatra jaṃtūnāṃ vāsena maraṇena ca
Here, this sacred ford (tīrtha) will become exceedingly great in many ways; and here too, embodied beings attain liberation—either by dwelling in this place or even by dying here.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The kṣetra is declared a great tīrtha where mokṣa is attainable not only through deliberate sādhana but even through residence or death there—emphasizing Śiva’s saving grace operating through place-sanctity.
Significance: Kṣetra-vāsa and kṣetra-maraṇa are presented as mokṣa-hetu, framing the site as a powerful locus of anugraha for bound souls (paśu).
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse proclaims the extraordinary sanctity of a Shiva-associated tīrtha: contact with it through devoted residence or a death sanctified by remembrance of Shiva can remove bondage (pāśa) and grant moksha by Shiva’s grace.
A tīrtha becomes “mahattara” because it is charged with Saguna Shiva’s presence—typically through the Linga and its worship—so that devotion, surrender, and remembrance performed there become especially potent for liberation.
Live or stay at the tīrtha with daily Shiva-upasana—Linga abhisheka, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and steady remembrance of Shiva—so that even the final moment is aligned with bhakti and vairagya.