Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
तुष्यते वा कथं शर्वो रूपं॑ तस्य च कीदृशम् । कथं ज्ञेय: प्रसन्नो वा दर्शयेज्जननि मम
tuṣyate vā kathaṃ śarvo rūpaṃ tasya ca kīdṛśam | kathaṃ jñeyaḥ prasanno vā darśayej janani mama ||
Vāsudeva said: “Mother, how does Śarva (Śiva) become satisfied, and what is his form like? By what means may he be truly known? Or, when pleased, how might he grant me his vision?”
वासुदेव उवाच
The verse frames a devotional-ethical inquiry: true knowledge of the divine is linked with the right means of approach—how one pleases Śiva, understands his nature, and becomes fit for darśana (a gracious, experiential vision).
Vāsudeva addresses his mother and asks practical and theological questions about Śiva—his form, what pleases him, how he is to be known, and how he might reveal himself when satisfied.