Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 67

गजासुरतपः–देवलोकक्षोभः

Gajāsura’s Austerities and the Disturbance of the Worlds

Devanagari script

कृत्तिवासेश्वरं नाम महापातकनाशनम् । सर्वेषामेव लिंगानां शिरोभूतं विमुक्तिदम्

Transliteration

kṛttivāseśvaraṃ nāma mahāpātakanāśanam | sarveṣāmeva liṃgānāṃ śirobhūtaṃ vimuktidam

Translation

On l’appelle Kṛttivāseśvara, destructeur des plus grands péchés. Parmi tous les Śiva-liṅgas, il se tient comme le premier et il accorde la délivrance.

Word by Word

• कृत्तिवासेश्वरम्: Kṛttivāseśvara
• कृत्तिवासेश्वरम्: कर्म (Karma/Object; name being stated)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्ति + वास + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (kṛtti-vāsa-īśvara = 'Lord (Īśvara) who wears a skin'); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (quotative/‘by name’)

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महā + पातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (mahā-pātaka-nāśana = 'destroyer of great sins'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृत्तिवासेश्वर-विशेषण

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• लिङ्गानाम्: of liṅgas
• लिङ्गानाम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• शिरोभूतम्: become the chief; the head
• शिरोभूतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिरस् + भूत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (śiras-bhūta = 'become the head/chief'); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृत्तिवासेश्वर-विशेषण

• विमुक्तिदम्: giver of liberation
• विमुक्तिदम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विमुक्ति + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (vimukti-da = 'giver of liberation'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृत्तिवासेश्वर-विशेषण

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Gajasamhāramūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha

Sthala Purana: In Kāśī, Śiva manifests as the supreme Liṅga granting vimukti; here the Kṛttivāseśvara-liṅga is eulogized as foremost among liṅgas, famed for destroying mahāpātakas and bestowing mokṣa—echoing Kāśī’s doctrine of liberation through Śiva’s immediate grace.

Significance: Darśana/arcana of the liṅga is said to destroy grave sins (mahāpātaka) and confer vimukti, aligning with Kāśī as the kṣetra of anugraha (saving grace).

Mantra Metadata

Type: stotra

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse proclaims Kṛttivāseśvara as supremely purifying—able to destroy mahāpātakas—and as a direct bestower of vimukti, emphasizing Śiva’s grace as the decisive cause of liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

It presents the liṅga as Śiva’s accessible saguna form through which devotees approach the transcendent (nirguṇa) reality; honoring this liṅga is described as especially efficacious for purification and mokṣa.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Single-pointed liṅga-bhakti—regular darśana, abhiṣeka, and japa of Śiva’s names (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—is implied as the practical means aligned with the verse’s promise of purification and liberation.