Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 70
महाकालज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्ये चन्द्रसेन-चिन्तामणि-प्रसङ्गः
Mahākāla Jyotirliṅga Māhātmya: The Episode of King Candrasena and the Cintāmaṇi
सूत उवाच । एवमुक्त्वाञ्जनीसूनुः शिवरूपो हरीश्वरः । सर्वान्राज्ञश्चन्द्रसेनं कृपादृष्ट्या ददर्श ह
sūta uvāca | evamuktvāñjanīsūnuḥ śivarūpo harīśvaraḥ | sarvānrājñaścandrasenaṃ kṛpādṛṣṭyā dadarśa ha
Sinabi ni Sūta: Pagkasabi niya nang gayon, ang anak ni Anjanī—si Hariśvara na may mismong anyo ni Śiva—ay tumingin sa lahat, pati na rin kay Haring Candrasena, sa isang titig ng habag.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Jyotirlinga: Mahākāleśvara
Sthala Purana: Ujjayinī’s king Candrasena is blessed in the Mahākāla-kṣetra; in Śaiva tradition, Mahākāla protects devotees and grants grace through compassionate regard, culminating in liberation.
Significance: Darśana of Mahākāla is famed for removing fear of death/time (kāla) and granting protection and spiritual uplift; the verse’s ‘kṛpā-dṛṣṭi’ mirrors the kṣetra’s grace theology.
FAQs
The verse highlights śiva-kṛpā (Shiva’s grace): liberation and protection are ultimately bestowed when the Lord turns His compassionate awareness toward the devotee, indicating that divine mercy completes what devotion begins.
By describing a visible divine form (śivarūpa) that grants a compassionate ‘darśana,’ it supports Saguna worship—approaching Shiva through form, presence, and grace—an essential devotional mood also expressed in Jyotirlinga pilgrimage traditions of the Koṭirudrasaṃhitā.
A practical takeaway is to seek Shiva’s ‘darśana’ through daily Linga worship with the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), cultivating humility and receptivity to grace; this inner attitude is the core ‘practice’ implied by the compassionate gaze.