Shloka 175

Adhyaya 72 — Puradāha: Rudra’s Cosmic Chariot, Pāśupata-Vrata, and Brahmā’s Shiva-Stuti

Devanagari script

सामर्थ्यं च सदा मह्यं भवन्तं वोढुमीश्वरम् सर्वज्ञत्वं च वरद सर्वगत्वं च शङ्कर

Transliteration

sāmarthyaṃ ca sadā mahyaṃ bhavantaṃ voḍhumīśvaram sarvajñatvaṃ ca varada sarvagatvaṃ ca śaṅkara

Translation

Gewähre mir stets die Kraft, Dich zu tragen und zu wahren—o Herr; gewähre mir Allwissenheit, o Spender der Gaben, und gewähre mir Allgegenwart, o Śaṅkara.

Word by Word

• सामर्थ्यम्: capacity, spiritual power

• च: and

• सदा: always

• मह्यम्: to me

• भवन्तम्: You (honorific)

• वोढुम्: to bear, to uphold, to sustain

• ईश्वरम्: the Lord

• सर्वज्ञत्वम्: omniscience

• च: and

• वरद: giver of boons

• सर्वगत्वम्: all-pervasiveness, omnipresence

• च: and

• शङ्कर: Śaṅkara (Shiva, beneficent one)

Speaker

Suta (narrating an internal prayer/hymnic petition addressed to Shiva)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames Linga-worship as seeking Shiva’s anugraha (grace) to gain inner fitness—strength and steadiness—to uphold devotion to the all-pervading Pati represented by the Linga.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Shiva is addressed as Īśvara, Varada, and Śaṅkara—Lordship, bestower of grace, and beneficence—implying Pati as omniscient (sarvajña) and omnipresent (sarvagata), beyond the limitations of the bound soul (paśu).

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights bhakti-informed Pāśupata orientation: a prayer for adhikāra (spiritual qualification) so the paśu may turn toward the Pati through worship, discipline, and grace rather than mere external rite.