Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 21
शिवदूतगमनानन्तरं शङ्खचूडस्य तुलसीसम्भाषणं युद्धप्रस्थान-तत्परता च / After Śiva’s Messenger Departs: Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Counsel with Tulasī and Readiness for War
कपिलस्य ततः स्थानं पुण्यक्षेत्रे च भारते । पश्चिमोदधिपूर्वे च मलयस्य हि पश्चिमे
kapilasya tataḥ sthānaṃ puṇyakṣetre ca bhārate | paścimodadhipūrve ca malayasya hi paścime
ಅನಂತರ ಕಪಿಲಮುನಿಯ ಪವಿತ್ರ ನಿವಾಸಸ್ಥಾನವು ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿನ ಪುಣ್ಯಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೆ—ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಸಮುದ್ರದ ಪೂರ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಮಲಯ ಪರ್ವತದ ಪಶ್ಚಿಮದಲ್ಲಿ—ಪುಣ್ಯತೀರ್ಥರೂಪವಾಗಿ ಪೂಜ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: The verse functions as a tīrtha-nirdeśa (geographical sanctification): Kapila’s āśrama is located in Bhārata between the western sea and the Malaya range, marking the land as puṇyakṣetra by association with a siddha/ṛṣi and (implicitly) Śiva’s sacred geography.
Significance: Darśana of a siddha-sthāna is said to attenuate pāśa (bondage) by saṃskāra-śuddhi and tīrtha-saṅga, preparing the paśu for Śiva’s anugraha.
FAQs
It sanctifies a specific tirtha-region by naming Kapila’s abode, teaching that Bhārata contains divinely charged locations where merit (puṇya) supports purification and steady devotion to Śiva.
By mapping a holy locale, the text implicitly supports Saguna Śiva worship through pilgrimage and temple-centered practice, where devotees approach Śiva through tangible sacred geography and established tirtha-dharma.
Undertake tirtha-yātrā with Śiva-smaraṇa—recite the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), apply tripuṇḍra (bhasma), and worship the local Śiva-liṅga with water and bilva leaves as a focused act of purification.