Shloka 22
Kedāreśvara-pratiṣṭhā: Nara-Nārāyaṇa’s Worship and Śiva’s Abiding as Jyoti
केदारेशस्य भक्ता ये मार्गस्थास्तस्य वै मृता । गतेऽपि मुक्ता भवंत्येव नात्र कार्य्या विचारणा
kedāreśasya bhaktā ye mārgasthāstasya vai mṛtā | gate'pi muktā bhavaṃtyeva nātra kāryyā vicāraṇā
കേദാരേശന്റെ ഭക്തർ അവിടേക്കുള്ള മാർഗത്തിൽ യാത്രചെയ്യുമ്പോൾ വഴിമധ്യേ മരിച്ചാലും, അവർ നിർഭാഗ്യമായി മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കും; ഇതിൽ കൂടുതൽ വിചാരം വേണ്ട.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Kedāranātha
Sthala Purana: The mahātmya radicalizes Kedāra’s salvific field: even death en route to Kedāreśa counts as contact with the kṣetra through intention (bhakti) and pilgrimage-vow, yielding liberation by the Lord’s grace.
Significance: Assures pilgrims that sincere yātrā-bhakti is not ‘wasted’ by misfortune; the kṣetra’s anugraha overrides the incompletion of physical arrival.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It declares the extraordinary saving power of devotion to Kedāreśa: even dying during the pilgrimage, with the intent fixed on Shiva, is affirmed as a direct cause of liberation.
Kedāreśa is Shiva worshiped as a Jyotirlinga (Saguna focus for devotees). The verse teaches that sincere approach to the Linga—through pilgrimage and remembrance—connects the soul to Shiva’s grace, which bestows moksha.
Undertake the Kedāreśa yātrā with steady bhakti—keeping Shiva in mind through japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” and continuous remembrance—so the journey itself becomes worship.