Shloka 41
मित्रसह-राज्ञो रक्षत्व-शापकथा — The Curse that Turns King Mitrasaha into a Rakshasa
Vasiṣṭha’s Śāpa Narrative
शृणु राजन्महाभाग क्षेत्रमन्यत्प्रतिष्ठितम् । महापातकसंहारि गोकर्णाख्यं शिवालयम्
śṛṇu rājanmahābhāga kṣetramanyatpratiṣṭhitam | mahāpātakasaṃhāri gokarṇākhyaṃ śivālayam
اے بادشاہِ نیک بخت! سنو—ایک اور مشہور مقدس خطہ ہے، ‘گوکرن’ نام کا شِو آلیہ، جو بڑے سے بڑے گناہوں کو بھی مٹانے والا مشہور ہے۔
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: Introduces Gokarṇa-kṣetra as a Śiva-ālayam renowned for destroying mahāpātakas; functions as a kṣetra-māhātmya pivot where pilgrimage and devotion become the concrete niṣkṛti.
Significance: Kṣetra-sevā and darśana at Gokarṇa are praised as powerful for pāpa-kṣaya and inner purification, preparing the paśu for Śiva’s grace.
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It proclaims Gokarṇa as a Śiva-kṣetra whose very sanctity supports purification—by devotion and pilgrimage—so that even heavy karmic burdens (mahāpātaka) are said to be dissolved through Śiva’s grace.
By calling Gokarṇa a “Śivālaya,” the verse points to Saguna worship—approaching Śiva through a consecrated locus such as a Liṅga/temple—where the devotee’s surrender and reverence become the means for inner cleansing and upliftment.
A practical takeaway is kṣetra-yātrā with Liṅga-darśana and japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), supported by simple Śaiva observances like vibhūti (tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa as aids to steady bhakti.