Shloka 29
नरकनामनिर्णयः
Catalogue of Narakas and Karmic Causes
यानि तेषामशेषाणां कर्मार्ण्युक्तानि तेषु वै । प्रायश्चित्तमशेषेण हरानुस्मरणं परम्
yāni teṣāmaśeṣāṇāṃ karmārṇyuktāni teṣu vai | prāyaścittamaśeṣeṇa harānusmaraṇaṃ param
त्या सर्वांच्या विषयी जे जे कर्म सांगितले आहे, त्यांमध्ये सर्व प्रकारे व पूर्णतः परम प्रायश्चित्त म्हणजे हर (भगवान् शिव) यांचे निरंतर स्मरण होय।
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s teaching as preserved in the Umāsaṃhitā discourse)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single jyotirliṅga; it universalizes expiation by asserting that the highest prāyaścitta across all prescribed acts is Harānusmaraṇa (remembrance of Śiva).
Significance: Frames pilgrimage as interiorized: beyond external rites, constant remembrance of Hara is declared the supreme purifier, aligning tīrtha with bhakti and grace.
Mantra: हरानुस्मरणं परम्
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: Karmic remediation through divine recollection—movement from pāśa (karma) toward anugraha (grace)
FAQs
It declares that the highest and most complete purification is not merely external penance but unwavering remembrance of Hara—placing devotion and inner transformation above all other expiations.
Linga-pūjā and Saguna worship culminate in anusmaraṇa—continuous inner recollection of Shiva; the verse presents this remembrance as the essence that makes all rites spiritually effective.
Daily japa and dhyāna centered on Shiva—especially Panchākṣarī mantra remembrance (Om Namaḥ Śivāya)—as a living prāyaścitta, supported by mindful worship practices like bhasma and rudrākṣa where appropriate.