Shloka 14
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
घोरेण तपसा लब्धं रावणाख्येन रक्षसा । तल्लिंगं स्थापयामास गोकर्ण गणनायकः
ghoreṇa tapasā labdhaṃ rāvaṇākhyena rakṣasā | talliṃgaṃ sthāpayāmāsa gokarṇa gaṇanāyakaḥ
Liṅga yang sama itu—yang diperoleh oleh rākṣasa bernama Rāvaṇa melalui tapa yang dahsyat—telah didirikan oleh Gokarṇa, ketua para gaṇa Śiva, agar pemujaannya berakar kukuh dan teguh.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Rāvaṇa, through fierce tapas, obtains a powerful liṅga; the gaṇa-leader named Gokarṇa establishes (installs) that liṅga in the kṣetra. The narrative frames Śiva’s ‘concealment’ (tirodhāna) and ‘grace’ interplay: a boon given to an asuric devotee is redirected by divine agency so the liṅga becomes a public salvific center rather than a private instrument of power.
Significance: Explains why the liṅga is fixed at Gokarṇa and thus available for loka-kalyāṇa; legitimizes the site’s authority through a myth of installation (sthāpanā).
FAQs
It shows that even power gained through intense tapas becomes spiritually fruitful when redirected into dharmic devotion—here, through the proper establishment of the Liṅga for sustained worship of Pati (Śiva), guiding beings toward grace rather than ego-driven attainment.
The verse emphasizes Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation): Saguna worship of Śiva through the Liṅga provides a stable, accessible form for devotion, pilgrimage, and daily pūjā, enabling seekers to approach the transcendent Nirguna Śiva through a sacred, consecrated symbol.
The implied practice is reverent Liṅga worship after proper establishment—regular abhiṣeka, offering of bilva leaves, and japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), transforming tapas into steady bhakti.