Shloka 18
Dāruvana-parīkṣā: Śaṅkara’s Test and the Linga’s Ritual-Theological Grounding
सूत उवाच । इत्युक्ते तु तदा तैश्च लिंगं च पतितं क्षणात् । अवधूतस्य तस्याशु शिवस्याद्भुतरूपिणः
sūta uvāca | ityukte tu tadā taiśca liṃgaṃ ca patitaṃ kṣaṇāt | avadhūtasya tasyāśu śivasyādbhutarūpiṇaḥ
സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അവർ അങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞതുമാത്രം, അതേ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ അത്ഭുതരൂപനായ അവധൂതനായ ഭഗവാൻ ശിവന്റെ ആ ലിംഗം ഉടൻ പതിച്ചു।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
Sthala Purana: The instantaneous ‘liṅga-patana’ (falling of the liṅga) is an archetypal sthala-seed: a divine sign becomes localized, later to be worshiped as a self-manifest emblem. This verse, however, does not name the resulting kṣetra, so it cannot be securely mapped to one of the 12 jyotirliṅgas from this excerpt alone.
Significance: General: worship of a svayambhū liṅga is held to be especially potent because it is not human-made; it signifies direct divine presence and becomes a focal point for anugraha after tirodhāna.
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse signals a sudden divine turning point: Śiva, the Avadhūta—beyond worldly norms—reveals His presence through the Liṅga, showing that the Supreme (Pati) can make the formless truth accessible through a sacred sign for the devotee’s awakening.
By calling Śiva “adbhuta-rūpin” and linking Him to the Liṅga, the text frames the Liṅga as a Saguna focus that carries the power of the transcendent Lord—an approachable form through which devotion, reverence, and grace operate.
A practical takeaway is steady Liṅga-upāsanā: mentally fix awareness on Śiva as the detached Avadhūta while offering simple worship (water, bilva leaves) and repeating the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with concentration.