Shloka 44
Liṅga-pratiṣṭhāvidhiḥ — Installation Standards and Auspicious Parameters for Liṅga Worship
एकद्वित्रिचतुःकोट्याब्रह्मादीनां पदं व्रजेत् । जपेदक्षरलक्षंवा अक्षराणां पृथक्पृथक्
ekadvitricatuḥkoṭyābrahmādīnāṃ padaṃ vrajet | japedakṣaralakṣaṃvā akṣarāṇāṃ pṛthakpṛthak
एकद्वित्रिचतुःकोट्याब्रह्मादीनां पदं व्रजेत् । जपेदक्षरलक्षंवा अक्षराणां पृथक्पृथक् ॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā setting, Kāśī/Viśveśvara is upheld as the locus where Śiva’s grace is especially accessible; the verse’s promise of attaining the ‘padam’ of Brahmā and other devas through japa aligns with Kāśī’s fame as a mokṣa-kṣetra where Śiva grants liberation by upadeśa.
Significance: Japa and nāma/mantra-sādhana performed with niyama is said to mature quickly into Śiva-pada (Śiva-sāyujya/Śiva-loka orientation), especially when undertaken in a tīrtha-kṣetra like Kāśī.
FAQs
It teaches that disciplined mantra-japa, done in vast and steady measures, elevates the soul to a divine spiritual station comparable to that of the highest deities, emphasizing purification and grace through sustained devotion to Shiva.
In the Vidyeshvara context, japa is a primary limb of Saguna Shiva worship—often performed alongside Linga-upasana—where repetition of Shiva’s mantra focuses the mind, purifies the bonds (pāśa), and turns the devotee toward Pati (Shiva) with single-pointed bhakti.
It prescribes mantra-japa in specific counts (crores) and also a method of repeating the mantra syllable-by-syllable (akṣaraśaḥ), a meditative technique for deeper concentration and correctness in recitation.