Shloka 32
Lord Śiva Instructs the Pracetās (Śiva-stuti and the Path of Bhakti)
मैत्रेय उवाच इत्यनुक्रोशहृदयो भगवानाह ताञ्छिव: । बद्धाञ्जलीन् राजपुत्रान्नारायणपरो वच: ॥ ३२ ॥
maitreya uvāca ity anukrośa-hṛdayo bhagavān āha tāñ chivaḥ baddhāñjalīn rāja-putrān nārāyaṇa-paro vacaḥ
Maitreya said: Out of his causeless mercy, Bhagavān Śiva—an exalted devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa—continued speaking to the king’s sons, who stood before him with folded hands.
Lord Śiva voluntarily came to bless the sons of the King as well as do something beneficial for them. He personally chanted the mantra so that the mantra would be more powerful, and he advised that the mantra be chanted by the King’s sons ( rāja-putras ). When a mantra is chanted by a great devotee, the mantra becomes more powerful. Although the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is powerful in itself, a disciple upon initiation receives the mantra from his spiritual master, for when the mantra is chanted by the spiritual master, it becomes more powerful. Lord Śiva advised the sons of the King to hear him attentively, for inattentive hearing is offensive.
FAQs
This verse introduces that Śiva’s forthcoming instruction is “nārāyaṇa-para”—fully centered on Nārāyaṇa—showing Śiva as a compassionate teacher of Vaiṣṇava-bhakti.
The princes (Pracetās) approached respectfully with folded hands, and seeing their sincerity, Śiva’s heart softened; he then spoke to guide them toward devotion to Nārāyaṇa.
Keep one’s goals and actions aligned with devotion to the Lord—regular prayer, remembrance, and offering one’s work—so spiritual life stays centered on Nārāyaṇa rather than ego or distraction.