Shloka 4
अतो मत्वा स्वभाग्यं हि कथयिष्यामि पावनीम् । पापप्रणाशिनीं दिव्यां कथां च शृणुतादरात्
ato matvā svabhāgyaṃ hi kathayiṣyāmi pāvanīm | pāpapraṇāśinīṃ divyāṃ kathāṃ ca śṛṇutādarāt
म्हणून तुमचे सौभाग्य जाणून मी ही पावन, दिव्य व पापनाशिनी कथा सांगणार आहे. ती आदराने, श्रद्धेने ऐका.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Sūta announces the forthcoming ‘pāvanī’ and ‘pāpapraṇāśinī’ kathā—typical of Jyotirliṅga māhātmyas where mere hearing is credited with purification and merit.
Significance: Positions kathā-śravaṇa as a purificatory upāya: it weakens pāśa (bondage) by turning the mind toward pati and preparing for Śiva’s anugraha.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It proclaims śravaṇa (reverent listening) to a Shiva-centered divine narrative as a purifier of the mind and a destroyer of pāpa, preparing the seeker for devotion and grace-oriented liberation (Pati’s anugraha).
By urging attentive hearing of a divine kathā, it sets the devotional foundation for Saguna Shiva worship—where the Linga and Jyotirlinga narratives become means to awaken bhakti, purity, and Shiva’s compassionate presence.
Practice kathā-śravaṇa with ādarā (reverence): listen daily or on Mahāśivarātri/Jyotirlinga pilgrimages, ideally preceded by simple purity observances (bhasma/Tripuṇḍra, japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to steady attention.