Shloka 24
Brahmā–Viṣṇu-Pūjā: Upacāra-Vistāra and Īśvara’s Prasāda
Offerings in Shiva Worship and the Lord’s Grace
मत्क्षेत्रादपि सर्वस्मात्क्षेत्रमेतन्महत्तरम् । अत्र संस्मृतिमात्रेण मुक्तिर्भवति देहिनाम्
matkṣetrādapi sarvasmātkṣetrametanmahattaram | atra saṃsmṛtimātreṇa muktirbhavati dehinām
నా క్షేత్రముతో సహా సమస్త పుణ్యక్షేత్రాలకన్నా ఈ క్షేత్రమే మహత్తరము. ఇక్కడ దేహధారులకు కేవలం స్మరణమాత్రముచేతనే ముక్తి కలుగును.
Lord Shiva (addressing the listener in the Viśveśvarasaṃhitā context, praising the supreme sanctity of the sacred kṣetra)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Śiva himself proclaims this kṣetra superior even to ‘my own’ other domains; mokṣa arises by mere remembrance—an explicit grace-soteriology where anugraha overrides ordinary limitations of effort.
Significance: Smaraṇa-mātra mokṣa: the place becomes a salvific ‘name-and-form’ of Śiva; remembrance functions as a direct means for pāśa-kṣaya through divine favor.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that Shiva’s grace can operate through pure remembrance (smaraṇa) of an exceptionally sanctified kṣetra, making moksha accessible even to embodied beings when devotion and Shiva-awareness arise.
By declaring the kṣetra supremely potent, it implies that the place sanctified by Shiva’s presence—often centered on Linga worship—supports Saguna-upāsanā, where remembering the holy seat of the Linga awakens devotion that leads toward liberation.
Practice kṣetra-smaraṇa: daily remembrance of Shiva’s holy abode along with japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” mentally offering worship to the Linga; this aligns bhakti and inner recollection as a direct means toward freedom.