अथ वर्षशतस्यांते वरदः शशिशेखरः । प्रत्यक्षो याचितो देहि जरामरणसंक्षयम्
atha varṣaśatasyāṃte varadaḥ śaśiśekharaḥ | pratyakṣo yācito dehi jarāmaraṇasaṃkṣayam
Dann, am Ende von hundert Jahren, erschien leibhaftig der gnadenverleihende Herr — Śaśiśekhara, Śiva mit der Mondsichel als Krone; und man flehte ihn an: „Gewähre mir das Erlöschen von Alter und Tod.“
Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)
Scene: After a century of worship, Śiva appears directly—moon on his matted hair, serene yet powerful—before the devotee who kneels and asks for the end of old age and death.
Steady tapas culminates in divine revelation, and the devotee’s highest longing often turns toward conquering mortality through divine grace.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it emphasizes Śiva’s direct appearance as the fruit of prolonged austerity.
No explicit rite is prescribed here; the context implies sustained tapas and direct supplication to Śiva.