Shiva Purana — Kotirudra Samhita, Shloka 39
ज्योतिर्लिङ्गमाहात्म्य-प्रस्तावना तथा सोमनाथ-प्रसङ्गः
Prologue to the Glory and Origin of the Jyotirliṅgas; Somnātha Episode Begins
चन्द्रेण च तपस्तप्तं पण्मासं च निरंतरम् । मृत्युंजयेन मंत्रेण पूजितो वृषभध्वजः
candreṇa ca tapastaptaṃ paṇmāsaṃ ca niraṃtaram | mṛtyuṃjayena maṃtreṇa pūjito vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ
Chandra cũng tu khổ hạnh liên tục suốt sáu tháng, và đã phụng thờ Vṛṣabhadhvaja—Đức Śiva có cờ mang hình bò—bằng thần chú Mṛtyuñjaya.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Somanātha
Sthala Purana: Chandra undertakes sustained tapas at Prabhāsa and worships Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja) with the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra, forming the core Somnātha-kṣetra legend of lunar restoration through Śiva’s grace.
Significance: Especially sought for relief from disease, fear of death, and ‘Chandra-doṣa’; supports longevity and mental steadiness through Mṛtyuñjaya upāsanā.
Mantra: (implied) oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam | urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya mā'mṛtāt ||
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that sustained tapas (disciplined austerity) joined with mantra-worship draws Śiva’s grace; the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra embodies Śiva as the liberator who overcomes fear and the bondage of death.
Śiva is praised here in a personal, saguna form—Vṛṣabhadhvaja—approached through devotional worship and mantra; such upāsanā commonly centers on the Śiva-liṅga as the accessible focus of reverence in the Purāṇic tradition.
Regular Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra-japa with uninterrupted discipline (nirantara), supported by tapas and pūjā—ideally with purity, focus, and steady daily practice.