Shloka 24
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
तस्याहमसुरघ्नस्य कांश्चिद् भगवतो गुणान् । भवतां कीर्तयिष्यामि व्रतेशाय यथातथम्,अतः मैं उन असुरविनाशक व्रतेश्वर भगवान् शंकरके कुछ गुणोंका आपलोगोंके समक्ष यथार्थरूपसे वर्णन करूँगा
tasyāham asuraghnasya kāṁścid bhagavato guṇān | bhavatāṁ kīrtayiṣyāmi vrateśāya yathātatham ||
“I shall now recount to you, truthfully and as they are, some of the qualities of that Blessed Lord—Śiva, the slayer of the asuras and the sovereign of vows.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames truthful praise (kīrtana) of divine virtues as a dharmic act: one should speak of the Lord’s qualities accurately (yathātatham), recognizing Śiva as the protector who destroys anti-dharmic forces (asuraghna) and as the exemplar and master of disciplined vows (vrateśa).
Vāsudeva announces that he will describe, for the listeners, some of Śaṅkara’s attributes. This serves as a transition into a focused eulogy or account of Śiva’s greatness, presented as faithful and fact-based rather than exaggerated.