Shloka 53
Dāruvana-parīkṣā: Śaṅkara’s Test and the Linga’s Ritual-Theological Grounding
हाटकेशमिति ख्यातं तच्छिवाशिवमित्यपि । पूजनात्तस्य लोकानां सुखं भवति सर्वथा
hāṭakeśamiti khyātaṃ tacchivāśivamityapi | pūjanāttasya lokānāṃ sukhaṃ bhavati sarvathā
అది ‘హాటకేశ’ అని ప్రసిద్ధి, అలాగే ‘శివాశివ’ అని కూడా పిలువబడుతుంది. దాని పూజచేత ప్రజలకు అన్ని విధాలా సుఖం కలుగుతుంది.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The established liṅga receives specific epithets—Hāṭakeśa and Śivāśiva—and its māhātmya is stated: worship yields ‘sukha’ for beings in every way, marking it as a celebrated local liṅga with salvific and worldly benefits.
Significance: Promises sarvathā-sukha (comprehensive well-being). In Siddhānta terms, such fruits are preliminary boons that culminate—when joined with right knowledge and devotion—in Śiva’s saving grace (anugraha).
Mantra: hāṭakeśam iti khyātaṃ tacchivāśivam ity api
Type: stotra
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse affirms that Shiva, worshipped here as Hāṭakeśa/Śivāśiva, is the direct giver of sukha (holistic well-being). In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, devotion to Pati (Shiva) loosens pāśa (bondage) and brings auspiciousness in both worldly life and the spiritual path.
By naming the sacred form and stating the fruit of pūjā, the text highlights Saguna Shiva’s accessible presence through the linga. The linga functions as a concrete focus for bhakti, through which Shiva’s grace is invoked for protection, purification, and upliftment.
Perform regular linga-pūjā—offering water, flowers, and bilva leaves—while repeating Shiva’s name (e.g., the Panchakshara “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a prayer for inner and outer well-being.