Shloka 12
Kedāreśvara-pratiṣṭhā: Nara-Nārāyaṇa’s Worship and Śiva’s Abiding as Jyoti
तद्दिनं हि समारभ्य केदारेश्वर एव च । पूजितो येन भक्त्या वै दुःखं स्वप्नेऽति दुर्लभम्
taddinaṃ hi samārabhya kedāreśvara eva ca | pūjito yena bhaktyā vai duḥkhaṃ svapne'ti durlabham
ആ ദിനം മുതലേ ഭക്തിയോടെ കേദാരേശ്വരനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവന് ദുഃഖം സ്വപ്നത്തിലുപോലും അത്യന്തം വിരളമാകുന്നു।
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages at Naimisharanya, Kotirudrasaṃhitā context)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: After the Mahābhārata war, the Pāṇḍavas sought expiation and pursued Śiva, who eluded them by assuming a buffalo form; when grasped, He disappeared into the earth and later manifested as the Kedāra-liṅga, granting darśana and boons to devotees.
Significance: Bhakti to Kedāreśvara is said to make duḥkha ‘rare even in dreams’, indicating removal of inner affliction and karmic burden through Śiva’s anugraha.
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse declares the fruit of single-minded bhakti to Kedāreśvara: Shiva’s grace reduces the very seed of suffering (duḥkha) so thoroughly that even dream-experience of sorrow becomes rare, indicating inner purification and protection on the path to liberation.
Kedāreśvara is approached as Saguna Shiva through Jyotirlinga worship (pūjā). By honoring Shiva in a tangible sacred form, the devotee’s mind is steadied in devotion, making divine grace accessible and transforming karmic distress into peace.
Perform bhakti-yukta pūjā to Kedāreśvara—offer water, bilva leaves, and recite the Panchākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” with a focused mind; this steady devotion is presented as the practical means by which duḥkha diminishes.