Shloka 38
Dakṣa’s Sacrifice Restored: Śiva’s Mercy and Nārāyaṇa’s Appearance
योगेश्वरा ऊचु प्रेयान्न तेऽन्योऽस्त्यमुतस्त्वयि प्रभो विश्वात्मनीक्षेन्न पृथग्य आत्मन: । अथापि भक्त्येश तयोपधावता- मनन्यवृत्त्यानुगृहाण वत्सल ॥ ३८ ॥
yogeśvarā ūcuḥ preyān na te ’nyo ’sty amutas tvayi prabho viśvātmanīkṣen na pṛthag ya ātmanaḥ athāpi bhaktyeśa tayopadhāvatām ananya-vṛttyānugṛhāṇa vatsala
The great mystics said: O Lord, those who behold You as the Paramātmā of all beings and see no separation from their own self are surely most dear to You. Yet, O Īśa, in Your tender mercy bless the bhaktas who run to Your shelter with single-minded devotion, for You are ever affectionate.
It is indicated in this verse that the monists and the great mystics know the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one. This oneness is not the misunderstanding that a living entity is equal in every respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This monism is based on pure knowledge as described and confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.17) : priyo hi jñānino ’tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ. The Lord says that those who are advanced in transcendental knowledge and know the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness are very dear to Him, and He also is very dear to them. Those who are actually in perfect knowledge of the science of God know that the living entities are superior energy of the Supreme Lord. This is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, Seventh Chapter: the material energy is inferior, and the living entities are superior energy. Energy and the energetic are nondifferent; therefore, energies possess the same quality as the energetic. Persons who are in full knowledge of the Personality of Godhead, analyzing His different energies and knowing their own constitutional position, are certainly very, very dear to the Lord. Persons, however, who may not even be conversant with knowledge of the Supreme Personality but who always think of the Lord with love and faith, feeling that He is great and that they are His parts and parcels, ever His servitors, are even more favored by Him. The particular significance of this verse is that the Lord is addressed as vatsala. Vatsala means “always favorably disposed.” The Lord’s name is bhakta-vatsala. The Lord is famous as bhakta-vatsala, which means that He is always favorably inclined to the devotees, whereas He is never addressed anywhere in the Vedic literature as jñāni-vatsala.
FAQs
This verse says the Lord is viśvātman—the indwelling Self of all—therefore He does not truly see anyone as separate from Himself, even while responding to devotion and surrender.
In the Daksha-yajña narrative, they appeal to Shiva’s compassionate nature to show mercy to the two parties entangled in offense and reaction—seeking reconciliation through Shiva’s grace and the power of exclusive devotion.
Cultivate steady, undivided focus on the Divine through daily prayer, mantra, and ethical living; even amid conflict, approach the Lord with sincerity and humility, trusting that grace can transform relationships and outcomes.