Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology
षण्मासाद् धारयिष्न्ति निवृत्ताः परपाकतः तेषां हृत्पङ्कजेष्वेव मल्लिङ्गं भविता ध्रुवम्
ṣaṇmāsād dhārayiṣnti nivṛttāḥ parapākataḥ teṣāṃ hṛtpaṅkajeṣveva malliṅgaṃ bhavitā dhruvam
Selama enam bulan mereka akan memelihara laku itu, setelah berpaling dari ‘pematangan’ (paripāka) makanan orang lain; dan di dalam teratai hati mereka, liṅga yang tanpa noda pasti akan menampakkan diri.
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
It commonly signals a discipline of food-restraint: refraining from eating food cooked by others (parapāka), or avoiding dependence on others’ provisions—an ascetic/vrata-like conduct that preserves ritual purity after drinking the tirtha-water.
As ‘mala-rahita liṅga’—a spotless liṅga. The point is not a physical stone liṅga appearing, but the assured manifestation of Shiva’s liṅga-principle as inner realization in the heart-lotus.
Māhātmya texts often quantify merit through time-bound observances. Here, the tirtha-water initiates a sustained period of purity/discipline, culminating in inner spiritual fruition (liṅga in the heart).