Shloka 18
भैरवोत्पत्तिः ब्रह्मदर्पनिग्रहश्च
Origin of Bhairava and the Subduing of Brahmā’s Pride
ज्ञानाज्ञानकृतं पापं नाशयत्येव ते स्मृतिः । तादृशे त्वयि दृष्टे मे मिथ्यादोषः कुतो भवेत्
jñānājñānakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ nāśayatyeva te smṛtiḥ | tādṛśe tvayi dṛṣṭe me mithyādoṣaḥ kuto bhavet
บาปที่ทำทั้งโดยรู้หรือไม่รู้ ย่อมถูกทำลายด้วยการระลึกถึงพระองค์; และเมื่อข้าพเจ้าได้เห็นพระองค์ในรูปเช่นนี้แล้ว โทษแห่งความหลงผิดหรือมายาจะเกิดขึ้นในข้าพเจ้าได้อย่างไร?
A devotee/narrative voice within Vidyeśvarasaṃhitā addressing Lord Śiva (inferred from direct second-person address and devotional tone)
Tattva Level: pati
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In the Kāśī/Viśveśvara milieu, mere smṛti/darśana of Śiva is proclaimed as a purifier that burns pāpa and dispels moha; the verse echoes the Kāśī doctrine that remembrance of Viśveśvara grants rapid purification and fitness for jñāna.
Significance: Smaraṇa and darśana are framed as immediate pāpa-kṣaya and moha-nivṛtti, preparing the paśu for Śiva’s anugraha (liberating grace).
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva-smṛti (remembrance of Lord Śiva) is intrinsically purifying—destroying pāpa done knowingly or unknowingly—and that true darśana stabilizes the mind in truth, removing delusion (mithyā-doṣa).
In the Vidyeśvarasaṃhitā, devotion is anchored in accessible Saguna worship—especially Śiva’s presence as the Liṅga and in darśana. The verse reflects the doctrine that contact through remembrance and vision of Śiva’s manifest form purifies and corrects inner error.
Practice Śiva-smaraṇa and japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as daily remembrance; combine it with steady darśana of the Liṅga to cultivate inner clarity and the cessation of delusion.