Shloka 69
Śiva-nāmānukīrtana-prastāvaḥ
Prologue to the praise of Śiva and the Upamanyu testimony
तप: सुमहदास्थाय तोषयेशानमीश्वरम् । इह देव: सपत्नीक: समाक्रीडत्यधोक्षज
tapaḥ sumahad āsthāya toṣayeśānam īśvaram | iha devaḥ sapatnīkaḥ samākrīḍaty adhokṣaja ||
Vāsudeva said: “Undertake a very great austerity and thereby satisfy Īśāna, the Supreme Lord. Here the divine Mahādeva, together with his consort, sports; therefore, O Adhokṣaja, practice tapas here to win Śiva’s grace.”
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual aims are to be pursued through disciplined tapas and sincere propitiation of the deity; divine favor is approached by self-restraint, reverence, and choosing a sacred context associated with the deity.
Vāsudeva instructs the addressed person (vocatively called Adhokṣaja) to undertake intense austerities in a place where Śiva is said to dwell and sport with Umā, so that Śiva (Īśāna) may be pleased and grant his grace.