Jalpeswara Sivalingam

Discover the sacred story of Sri Jalpeswara, the 66th of the 84 Mahakalavana Shivalingas of Ujjain, explained in Telugu by Jagadguru Sri Ramanananda Maharshi, Siddhaguru.

King Jalpa, troubled by idle conversations and arguments, developed detachment and retired to the forest for penance, entrusting his kingdom to his five sons. Misled by a scheming minister, his son Vikranta sought to seize his brothers' territories through destructive rituals. Retaliation led to the deaths of all five brothers and their ministers.

Grief-stricken and blaming himself, Jalpa sought Sage Vashishtha's guidance. The sage directed him to an ancient Shivalinga in Mahakalavana, west of Kukkuteshwara, at a site associated with Sage Jamadagni's ashram and Lord Parashurama's penance.

As Jalpa worshipped with devotion and detachment, a divine voice reassured him that his sons' own actions had determined their fate. Lord Shiva urged him to understand karma and relinquish his grief.

Jalpa asked for freedom from rebirth and lasting sacred remembrance. Shiva named the Shivalinga Jalpeswara in his honour. The king then relinquished his body through yogic power and merged into Shiva, a culmination Siddhaguru explains in connection with Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

The story of Sri Jalpeswara reflects on the consequences of harmful counsel, the workings of karma and the path beyond grief. Guided by Sage Vashishtha, Jalpa turned to Shiva with devotion and detachment.