Shloka 5
नन्दिकेश्वरशिवलिङ्गमाहात्म्यवर्णनम्
The Māhātmya of the Nandikeśvara Śiva-liṅga
पूर्वकर्मप्रभावेन पत्नी सा हि द्विजन्मनः । सुव्रतापि च विप्रेन्द्रा बालवैधव्यमागता
pūrvakarmaprabhāvena patnī sā hi dvijanmanaḥ | suvratāpi ca viprendrā bālavaidhavyamāgatā
Karena pengaruh karma masa lampau, ia—istri sang dvija—wahai yang utama di antara brahmana, meski bertekad luhur, jatuh ke dalam keadaan janda saat masih muda.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga account; karmic causality (pūrvakarma) drives the heroine into suffering, preparing the ground for Śiva’s anugraha through liṅga-arcana.
Significance: Teaches that duḥkha born of karma can become the turning-point toward Śiva-upāsanā and eventual grace.
FAQs
It emphasizes karma’s continuity across lives: even a virtuous person may face suffering due to prior deeds, and such trials become a ground for turning to Shiva as Pati (the liberating Lord) beyond the bonds of fate.
Kotirudra narratives commonly move from human suffering to refuge in Shiva’s sacred presence (Jyotirlinga/Linga). The verse sets the karmic backdrop that motivates seeking Saguna Shiva’s grace for purification and upliftment.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Panchakshara mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a vow of purity and remembrance of Shiva, as a Shaiva remedy for karmic sorrow.