अन्धकानुग्रहः—शूलारोपणं, रुद्रस्मरण-फलम्, तथा गाणपत्य-प्रदानम् (अध्याय 93)
भगवन्देवदेवेश भक्तार्तिहर शङ्कर त्वयि भक्तिः प्रसीदेश यदि देयो वरश् च मे
bhagavandevadeveśa bhaktārtihara śaṅkara tvayi bhaktiḥ prasīdeśa yadi deyo varaś ca me
يا ربَّنا المبارك، يا إلهَ الآلهة، يا شَنْكَرَ مُزيلَ كُرْبةِ العابدين—تلطّف بي. إن كان لي منحةٌ تُعطى، فلتكن محبّةُ العبادة (بهكتي) الثابتة التي لا تَفْتُر لك.
A devotee (within Suta’s narration) addressing Lord Shiva
It places bhakti itself as the supreme “vara” (boon), implying that outer Linga-puja is fulfilled when the heart becomes firmly established in devotion to Pati (Shiva).
Shiva is invoked as Deva-Deveśa (transcendent Lord over all devas) and Bhaktārti-hara (the compassionate remover of devotees’ suffering), highlighting His anugraha (grace) as central to liberation of the pashu.
The key practice is single-pointed devotion (bhakti-niṣṭhā) as the inner limb of worship—aligned with Pāśupata orientation where Shiva’s grace loosens pāśa (bondage) and steadies the pashu in Pati.