Shloka 8
एकादशरुद्रावतारकथनम् / Account of the Eleven Rudra Manifestations
Rudrāvatāras
शिवलिंगं सुसंस्थाप्य चकार विपुलन्तपः । शम्भुमुद्दिश्य सुप्रीत्या देवानां हितकाम्यया
śivaliṃgaṃ susaṃsthāpya cakāra vipulantapaḥ | śambhumuddiśya suprītyā devānāṃ hitakāmyayā
शिवलिङ्गं सुसंस्थाप्य चकार विपुलं तपः । शम्भुमुद्दिश्य सुप्रीत्या देवानां हितकाम्यया ॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: The act of liṅga-pratiṣṭhā followed by tapas is a standard purāṇic pattern for invoking Śiva’s boon-bestowing grace; here it functions as a general kṣetra-creating act rather than a named Jyotirliṅga origin.
Significance: Establishing a liṅga and performing tapas for loka-hita (welfare of devas/world) models Śaiva dharma: personal purification culminating in grace that benefits the cosmos.
FAQs
It teaches that right worship begins with proper स्थापना (installation) of the Liṅga and is fulfilled through tapas joined with joyful devotion (suprīti) to Śiva, undertaken not for egoic gain but for dharmic welfare—aligning the devotee with Pati (Śiva) through bhakti and discipline.
The Liṅga functions as the accessible saguna focus for the mind and senses; by installing it correctly and directing love to Śambhu, the worshipper stabilizes attention and invokes Śiva’s grace, which in Śaiva Siddhānta is the decisive power that ripens tapas into spiritual fruition.
Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā followed by steady tapas: daily Liṅga-pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with disciplined vows and meditation centered on Śambhu, offered for loka-hita (the good of all).