शङ्खचूडवधकथनम् / The Account of Śaṅkhacūḍa’s Slaying
तपश्चकार परमं पुष्करे लक्षवर्षकम् । कृष्णमंत्रं जजापैव दृढं बद्धासनं चिरम्
tapaścakāra paramaṃ puṣkare lakṣavarṣakam | kṛṣṇamaṃtraṃ jajāpaiva dṛḍhaṃ baddhāsanaṃ ciram
Tại Puṣkara, ông thực hành khổ hạnh tối thượng suốt một trăm nghìn năm; ngồi lâu trong tư thế yoga kiên cố, ông không ngừng trì tụng Kṛṣṇa-mantra với ý chí bất động.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Puṣkara is a famed tīrtha associated with Brahmā; here it functions as the locus of tapas that generates tejas affecting the cosmos.
Significance: Tīrtha for purification and merit; in narrative terms, a potent field where tapas quickly fructifies and draws divine attention.
Mantra: कृष्णमन्त्र
Role: teaching
It presents the Shaiva ideal of purification through sustained tapas and disciplined mantra-japa: the mind is made steady (nirodha) and fit to receive Shiva’s grace, which alone consummates liberation.
Though the verse highlights internal practice (āsana and japa), it supports Saguna upāsanā in Shaiva tradition: concentrated repetition and restraint prepare the devotee for focused worship of Shiva—often expressed outwardly as Linga-pūjā and inwardly as dhyāna.
A steady seated posture (baddhāsana), long-duration japa of a chosen mantra, and rigorous austerity—implying disciplined daily sādhanā that can be paired with Shaiva supports like Rudrākṣa, Bhasma (Tripuṇḍra), and Panchākṣarī japa where appropriate.