Shloka 20
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
सर्वे देवास्सगन्धर्वाः पितरः सिद्धचारणाः । विद्याधराः किंपुरुषाः किन्नरा गुह्यकाः खगाः
sarve devāssagandharvāḥ pitaraḥ siddhacāraṇāḥ | vidyādharāḥ kiṃpuruṣāḥ kinnarā guhyakāḥ khagāḥ
เหล่าเทพทั้งปวงพร้อมคันธรรพะ ตลอดจนปิตฤ สิทธะและจารณะ วิทยาธร กิมปุรุษะ กินนระ คุหยะกะ และเหล่าขคะ (หมู่นกผู้มีปีก) ได้มาชุมนุม ณ ที่นั้น.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: A universal assembly of devas and semi-divine beings around Śiva’s sacred precinct; not tied to a single Jyotirliṅga narrative.
Significance: Models saṅgati (holy assembly): the devotee joins a cosmic congregation oriented to Śiva, implying merit through association and collective worship.
FAQs
The verse emphasizes Shiva’s universal sovereignty: beings from all planes—devas, ancestors, perfected sages, and celestial attendants—converge, indicating that the Lord’s sacred manifestation draws every order of existence toward reverence and grace.
Such a cosmic gathering typically frames a theophany or sacred event connected with Shiva’s manifest (saguṇa) presence—like a Jyotirlinga—showing that Linga-darśana and Shiva-bhakti are honored not only by humans but by celestial and ancestral realms as well.
The practical takeaway is collective worship and remembrance: approach Shiva through Linga-pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and a devotional attitude, as even higher beings are portrayed as gathering in reverence.