Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 48
जालन्धरस्य दूतप्रेषणम् — Jalandhara Sends an Envoy to Kailāsa
The Provocation of Śiva
त्वं कीर्तिमुखसंज्ञो हि भव मद्द्वारकस्सदा । महागणो महावीरस्सर्वदुष्टभयंकरः
tvaṃ kīrtimukhasaṃjño hi bhava maddvārakassadā | mahāgaṇo mahāvīrassarvaduṣṭabhayaṃkaraḥ
你确实将被尊称为“基尔蒂穆卡”（Kīrtimukha）。愿你永远作为我门户的守护者——一位伟大的迦那，一位英勇的英雄，以及一个令所有恶人胆战心惊的恐怖存在。
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Etiological charter for the kīrtimukha emblem: Śiva names the being and installs him as dvārapāla, explaining why kīrtimukha appears above temple doors as a protective face.
Significance: Entering Śiva’s temple under the kīrtimukha signifies leaving ego and wickedness outside; the guardian-face is a reminder of dharma and restraint.
FAQs
It portrays Śiva as Pati (the sovereign Lord) who appoints protective divine forces to restrain adharma; Kīrtimukha symbolizes the consuming of egoic, wicked impulses at the threshold of the sacred.
As Saguna Śiva, the Lord actively protects His abode and devotees; in Linga-worship this is remembered as Śiva’s living guardianship—approaching the Linga with purity while hostile tendencies are kept at the ‘door’.
Before japa or Linga-pūjā, mentally place Śiva as the protector at the threshold of the mind, then recite the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a vow to abandon duṣṭa (harmful) actions; applying Tripuṇḍra/bhasma can be taken as a reminder of inner purification.