Shloka 18
भैरवावतारलीलावर्णनम् (Bhairava-avatāra-līlā-varṇanam) — “Narration of the Divine Play of Bhairava’s Descent”
धिग्धिक्पदन्तु देवानां परं दृष्ट्वा न शंकरम् । लभ्यते यत्र निर्वाणं सर्व दुःखान्तकृत्तु यत्
dhigdhikpadantu devānāṃ paraṃ dṛṣṭvā na śaṃkaram | labhyate yatra nirvāṇaṃ sarva duḥkhāntakṛttu yat
¡Vergüenza para ese llamado “estado supremo” de los dioses, si se alcanza sin contemplar a Śaṅkara! Pues en Él se obtiene el Nirvāṇa: Él, que de veras pone fin a todo sufrimiento.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s supremacy to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Rudra
Sthala Purana: Not a specific jyotirliṅga episode; the verse universalizes the principle that liberation (nirvāṇa/mokṣa) is obtained only through Śaṅkara’s grace and presence.
Significance: Reorients ‘highest heaven’ (deva-pada) as inferior to śiva-sannidhi; motivates pilgrimage/temple-darśana as a means to seek anugraha leading to mokṣa.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse declares that even the “highest” divine attainments are incomplete if they exclude Śaṅkara; true Nirvāṇa is found in the grace and realization of Shiva, the Pati who ends all duḥkha (bondage-born suffering).
It supports Saguna upāsanā as a direct doorway to the highest: beholding Śaṅkara through Linga-darśana and devoted worship leads the soul from limited heavenly attainments toward Shiva’s liberating presence (Nirvāṇa).
Prioritize Śiva-darśana and remembrance: daily Linga worship with Panchākṣarī japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and a bhakti-focused contemplation on Śaṅkara as the remover of all suffering.