Shloka 19
छायापुरुषलक्षणवर्णनम्
Description of the Marks of the Shadow-Person
सर्वतीर्थकृतस्नानाद्भवेद्दानस्य यत्फलम् । सर्वयज्ञफलं यच्च मालिन्या दर्शनात्तदा
sarvatīrthakṛtasnānādbhaveddānasya yatphalam | sarvayajñaphalaṃ yacca mālinyā darśanāttadā
O fruto da caridade obtido ao banhar-se em todas as águas sagradas de peregrinação, e o mérito que surge de todos os sacrifícios, alcança-se então apenas ao contemplar Mālinī.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: The verse uses tīrtha-snānā and yajña as benchmarks, then declares Mālinī-darśana superior—typical purāṇic strategy of ‘internal tīrtha’ eclipsing external rites.
Significance: Promises that mere darśana of Mālinī yields the aggregate merit of sarva-tīrtha bathing, dāna, and sarva-yajña—recasting pilgrimage as contemplative encounter with Śakti.
Shakti Form: Gaurī
Role: liberating
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
This verse elevates śraddhā-filled darśana (holy vision) of the Divine over external merit-making acts, teaching that grace and inner devotion can confer the same (or greater) puṇya than extensive pilgrimages, dāna, and yajña.
It supports Saguna-upāsanā: approaching Shiva (and the Śakti principle associated with Him) through accessible forms and sacred presence. Darśana—such as of a shrine, deity, or sanctified manifestation—becomes a direct channel for anugraha (grace), not merely a symbolic act.
Seek darśana with purity and devotion—visit a Shiva-Śakti shrine, offer simple worship, and internally repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” treating darśana as a contemplative encounter rather than a mere sight.