Shloka 44
Lord Śiva Instructs the Pracetās (Śiva-stuti and the Path of Bhakti)
दर्शनं नो दिदृक्षूणां देहि भागवतार्चितम् । रूपं प्रियतमं स्वानां सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाञ्जनम् ॥ ४४ ॥
darśanaṁ no didṛkṣūṇāṁ dehi bhāgavatārcitam rūpaṁ priyatamaṁ svānāṁ sarvendriya-guṇāñjanam
O Lord, we long for Your darśana; please grant us the vision of that form worshiped by Your Bhāgavata devotees. Though You have many forms, reveal the one most dear to Your own, the form that perfectly satisfies all the senses.
In the śruti, or veda-mantra, it is said that the Supreme Absolute Truth is sarva-kāmaḥ sarva-gandhaḥ sarva-rasaḥ, or, in other words, He is known as raso vai saḥ, the source of all relishable relationships ( rasas ). We have various senses — the powers of seeing, tasting, smelling, touching, etc. — and all the propensities of our senses can be satisfied when the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate: “ Bhakti means engaging all the senses in the service of the master of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa.” ( Nārada-pañcarātra ) These material senses, however, cannot be engaged in the service of the Lord; therefore one has to become free from all designations. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tatparatvena nirmalam: one has to become free from all designation or false egotism and thus become purified. When we engage our senses in the service of the Lord, the desires or the inclinations of the senses can be perfectly fulfilled. Lord Śiva therefore wants to see the Lord in a form which is inconceivable to the Bauddha philosophers, or the Buddhists.
FAQs
This verse shows a devotee’s mood of longing: Lord Shiva asks Vishnu to grant direct vision (darśana) of His beloved form, emphasizing that the Lord is especially worshiped and approached by pure devotees (bhāgavatas).
In his devotional prayer, Shiva expresses intense eagerness to see the Lord and requests the Lord’s personally revealing, most beloved form—highlighting Vishnu’s special relationship with His devotees.
Cultivate sincere longing to remember and “see” the Lord through bhakti—regular worship, chanting, and hearing—seeking the Lord’s presence with humility, as Shiva does here.