Shloka 20
महाबलमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् (Mahābala Māhātmya-varṇanam) — “Account of the Greatness of Mahābala (and Western Sacred Liṅgas)”
सर्वे देवास्सगन्धर्वाः पितरः सिद्धचारणाः । विद्याधराः किंपुरुषाः किन्नरा गुह्यकाः खगाः
sarve devāssagandharvāḥ pitaraḥ siddhacāraṇāḥ | vidyādharāḥ kiṃpuruṣāḥ kinnarā guhyakāḥ khagāḥ
Tất cả chư thiên—cùng các Gandharva—lại có các Pitṛ, các Siddha và Cāraṇa, các Vidyādhara, Kiṃpuruṣa, Kinnara, Guhyaka, cùng các loài có cánh (chim muông), đều tụ hội tại đó.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: A universal assembly of devas and semi-divine beings around Śiva’s sacred precinct; not tied to a single Jyotirliṅga narrative.
Significance: Models saṅgati (holy assembly): the devotee joins a cosmic congregation oriented to Śiva, implying merit through association and collective worship.
FAQs
The verse emphasizes Shiva’s universal sovereignty: beings from all planes—devas, ancestors, perfected sages, and celestial attendants—converge, indicating that the Lord’s sacred manifestation draws every order of existence toward reverence and grace.
Such a cosmic gathering typically frames a theophany or sacred event connected with Shiva’s manifest (saguṇa) presence—like a Jyotirlinga—showing that Linga-darśana and Shiva-bhakti are honored not only by humans but by celestial and ancestral realms as well.
The practical takeaway is collective worship and remembrance: approach Shiva through Linga-pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and a devotional attitude, as even higher beings are portrayed as gathering in reverence.