Shloka 15
Andhakeśvara-liṅga Māhātmya and Śiva’s Subjugation of Andhaka (अन्धकेश्वरलिङ्गमाहात्म्य तथा अन्धकवध-प्रसङ्ग)
सूत उवाच । इत्युक्तस्तेन दैत्यं तं तद्गर्ते चाक्षिपद्धरः । स्वयं तत्र स्थितो लिंगरूपोऽसौ लोककाम्यया
sūta uvāca | ityuktastena daityaṃ taṃ tadgarte cākṣipaddharaḥ | svayaṃ tatra sthito liṃgarūpo'sau lokakāmyayā
सूत उवाच । इत्युक्तस्तेन दैत्यं तं तद्गर्ते चाक्षिपद्धरः । स्वयं तत्र स्थितो लिंगरूपोऽसौ लोककाम्यया ॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Upon Andhaka’s plea, Dhara (the bear) casts him into the pit; Śiva, moved for loka-kāmyā (the world’s welfare/aspirations), abides there as a liṅga—an archetypal sthala-purāṇa motif explaining a local liṅga’s manifestation and its salvific accessibility.
Significance: Establishes the liṅga as a grace-form: Śiva makes Himself ritually approachable for all, turning a site of downfall (pit) into a site of uplift (liṅga-sthāna).
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that Shiva’s Liṅga-manifestation is an act of grace: after the removal of adharma (the demon), the Lord remains accessible in a stable, worshipable form so devotees may attain protection, fulfillment, and ultimately liberation.
The verse explicitly states that the Lord ‘stood there as Liṅga-rūpa,’ indicating Saguna accessibility: the transcendent (Nirguṇa) Shiva compassionately becomes worshipable as the Liṅga so the world can approach Him through pūjā, darśana, and devotion.
A practical takeaway is Liṅga-pūjā with bhakti—offering water, bilva leaves, and reciting the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” contemplating Shiva as the abiding Presence established for loka-kalyāṇa (the world’s welfare).