Shloka 18
Mukti-bheda-nirūpaṇa (Classification of Liberation) and Śiva as the Sole Bestower of Mokṣa
शिवो हि भजनाधीनो ज्ञानात्मा मोक्षदः परः । भक्त्यैव बहवः सिद्धा मुक्तिं प्रापुः परां मुदा
śivo hi bhajanādhīno jñānātmā mokṣadaḥ paraḥ | bhaktyaiva bahavaḥ siddhā muktiṃ prāpuḥ parāṃ mudā
En vérité, Śiva se laisse gagner par l’adoration dévouée ; Il est l’essence même de la connaissance divine et le suprême dispensateur de la délivrance. Par la seule bhakti, beaucoup ont atteint la perfection et, dans une grande joie, sont parvenus à la liberté suprême (moksha).
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s teaching within the Kotirudra Samhita context to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that Shiva, though supreme and the embodiment of true knowledge, becomes accessible through sincere devotion; such bhakti ripens into siddhi and culminates in the highest moksha by Shiva’s grace.
It supports Saguna upasana: worshipping Shiva in a form (especially the Shiva Linga/Jyotirlinga) with love and reverence is presented as a direct means to win Shiva’s grace, which then reveals knowledge and grants liberation.
Steady bhajana—such as Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) japa, Linga archana with devotion, and contemplative remembrance of Shiva as jñāna-svarūpa—are implied as the practical path leading to moksha.