Shloka 42
यक्षेश्वरावतारः (Yakṣeśvara-Avatāra) and the Nīlakaṇṭha Paradigm in the Churning of the Ocean
य इदं शृणुयाद्भक्त्या श्रावयेद्वा सुधीः पुमान् । सर्वकामानवाप्नोति ततश्च लभते गतिम्
ya idaṃ śṛṇuyādbhaktyā śrāvayedvā sudhīḥ pumān | sarvakāmānavāpnoti tataśca labhate gatim
य इदं भक्त्या शृणुयात् श्रावयेद्वापि धीमत्। स सर्वकामानवाप्नोति ततः शिवकृपया गतिम्॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: Phalaśruti emphasizing two modes of transmission—śravaṇa (hearing) and śrāvaṇa (causing others to hear)—as meritorious acts that mature into ‘gati’ (the highest end).
Significance: Frames kathā-śravaṇa and pravacana as a pilgrimage of consciousness: the devotee gains sarva-kāma (legitimate aims) and then the highest gati (mokṣa) by Śiva’s grace.
FAQs
It teaches that bhakti-yukta śravaṇa (devotional listening) and śrāvaṇa (enabling others to hear) are powerful Shaiva disciplines that mature desires into dharmic fulfillment and culminate in gati—Śiva’s liberating grace.
Hearing and transmitting Śiva’s glories is treated as an act of worship comparable to external pūjā; it turns the mind toward Saguna Śiva (as Linga and forms) and prepares the seeker for the highest realization and release.
Regular śravaṇa and pāṭha of Śiva Purāṇa with devotion—especially reciting aloud for others—supported by simple Shaiva observances like mantra-japa (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to internalize the teaching.