Shloka 48
द्वादशज्योतिर्लिङ्गावतारकथनम्
Account of the Twelve Jyotirliṅga Manifestations
रामेण प्रार्थितोऽत्यर्थं ज्योतिर्लिंगस्वरूपतः । सन्तस्थौ सेतुबन्धे च रामसंसेवितो मुने
rāmeṇa prārthito'tyarthaṃ jyotirliṃgasvarūpataḥ | santasthau setubandhe ca rāmasaṃsevito mune
اے مُنی، رام کی نہایت پُرخلوص التجا پر بھگوان شِو جیوتِرلِنگ کے روپ میں سیتوبندھ میں مقیم ہوئے، اور وہاں رام نے بھکتی سے اُن کی خدمت و پوجا کی۔
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Jyotirlinga: Rāmeśvara
Sthala Purana: After defeating Rāvaṇa, Rāma seeks expiation for brahmahatyā-doṣa (killing a brāhmaṇa by birth) and prays to Śiva. Śiva manifests as a Jyotirliṅga at Setubandha and accepts Rāma’s worship, establishing the sanctity of Rāmeśvara.
Significance: Darśana and worship are said to grant both bhukti and mukti; a key kṣetra for prāyaścitta, śiva-bhakti, and crossing the ‘setu’ from bondage to liberation.
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva, though transcendent, compassionately becomes accessible as the Jyotirliṅga when approached with wholehearted devotion; Rāma’s prayer exemplifies bhakti that draws divine presence into a sacred place.
The Jyotirliṅga is Śiva’s luminous manifestation (saguna for worship) that points to His nirguna reality; worship at Setubandha shows how the liṅga serves as a concrete support for realizing Śiva’s supreme, formless nature.
Liṅga-upāsanā through prayer and service—especially abhiṣeka, japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and steadfast devotion—modeled after Rāma’s attentive worship.