प्रणवमहिमा — The Greatness of the Praṇava (Om) as Śiva
हृत्पुण्डरीकं विरजं विशोकं विशदम्परम् । अष्टपत्रं केशराढ्यं कर्णिकोपरि शो भितम्
hṛtpuṇḍarīkaṃ virajaṃ viśokaṃ viśadamparam | aṣṭapatraṃ keśarāḍhyaṃ karṇikopari śo bhitam
心中の蓮華を観想すべし—垢なく、憂いなく、最上に清浄なるもの。八葉の蓮華は糸のごとき蕊に満ち、その中央の花托(カールニカー)によっていよいよ輝く。
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Internal pilgrimage (antar-yātrā): meditation on the heart-lotus as the purified seat where Śiva’s grace becomes experientially accessible; supports citta-śuddhi and steadiness for jñāna.
Role: teaching
The verse directs the seeker to meditate on the purified heart-lotus as the inner shrine where Pati (Shiva) is realized—free from mala (impurity) and śoka (sorrow)—a Shaiva Siddhanta emphasis on inner purification leading toward liberation.
It presents the heart-lotus as an internal altar: just as the Linga is worshipped externally with purity and focus, Saguna Shiva is contemplated inwardly in the luminous center (karṇikā), preparing the mind for deeper realization of Shiva beyond limitation.
A dhyāna practice: visualize an eight-petalled lotus in the heart, keep it stainless and clear through disciplined purity, and sustain japa (such as the Panchakshara, Om Namaḥ Śivāya) as the mind rests in the lotus-center.