Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya
प्रसीद देवदेवेश त्वयि चाव्यभिचारिणी श्रद्धा चैव महादेव सान्निध्यं चैव सर्वदा
prasīda devadeveśa tvayi cāvyabhicāriṇī śraddhā caiva mahādeva sānnidhyaṃ caiva sarvadā
Sei gnädig, o Herr der Götter. Möge in mir ein unerschütterlicher Glaube an Dich erwachen; und, o Mahādeva, möge Deine heilige Nähe—Dein bleibendes Gegenwärtigsein—stets bei mir sein.
Suta Goswami (narrating a devotional supplication within the Linga Purana’s Shaiva teaching context)
It frames linga-pūjā as more than external rite: the devotee seeks Shiva’s anugraha (grace), unwavering śraddhā, and constant sānnidhya—inner nearness to Pati—so the worship transforms the pashu (soul).
Shiva is addressed as Devadeveśa and Mahādeva, the supreme Pati whose presence can abide with the devotee; His nearness is not merely spatial but a sustaining, liberating reality that removes pasha (bondage) through grace.
The key practice is avyabhicāriṇī-śraddhā—single-pointed, non-deviating devotion—central to Shaiva sādhanā and supportive of Pāśupata-oriented discipline, where inner steadfastness culminates in Shiva’s sānnidhya.