Shloka 7
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
गोकर्णे शिवलिंगानां तीर्थानामपि सर्वशः । वर्ण्यते महिमा तात पुराणेषु महर्षिभिः
gokarṇe śivaliṃgānāṃ tīrthānāmapi sarvaśaḥ | varṇyate mahimā tāta purāṇeṣu maharṣibhiḥ
اے عزیز، گوکرن میں شیو لِنگوں اور تمام تیرتھوں کی عظمت ہر جگہ بیان کی جاتی ہے، جیسا کہ مہارشیوں نے پرانوں میں وصف کیا ہے۔
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: The verse explicitly frames Gokarṇa’s liṅgas and tīrthas as repeatedly praised by maharṣis across Purāṇic literature, indicating a widely transmitted kṣetra-māhātmya tradition.
Significance: Hearing/reciting the kṣetra’s mahimā (śravaṇa) is itself meritorious; it supports bhakti and prepares the paśu for Śiva’s anugraha through kṣetra-yātrā and liṅga-sevā.
Type: stotra
FAQs
The verse establishes Gokarṇa as a highly sanctifying Śaiva kṣetra where the greatness of Śiva-liṅga worship and tīrtha-sevā is affirmed by Purāṇic seers, encouraging devotion (bhakti) as a direct means to grace.
By praising the mahimā of Śiva-liṅgas at Gokarṇa, it highlights Saguna Śiva worship through the liṅga as a concrete, accessible focus for reverence, purification, and receiving Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
It implies tīrtha-yātrā to Gokarṇa with liṅga-pūjā—abhisheka, offering bilva leaves, and japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” as the core devotional practice.