Shloka 166
एतद् देवेषु दुष्प्रापं मनुष्येषु न लभ्यते । निर्विघ्ना निश्चला रुद्रे भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी,रद्रदेवमें निश्चल एवं निर्विघ्नरूपसे अनन्य-भक्ति हो जाय--यह देवताओंके लिये भी दुर्लभ है। मनुष्योंमें तो प्रायः ऐसी भक्ति स्वतः नहीं उपलब्ध होती है
etad deveṣu duṣprāpaṁ manuṣyeṣu na labhyate | nirvighnā niścalā rudre bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī ||
Vāyu said: “Such unwavering devotion—free from obstacles, steady, and exclusive toward Rudra—is difficult to attain even among the gods. Among human beings it is not readily found; such devotion does not usually arise of itself.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that truly obstacle-free, unwavering, and exclusive devotion to Rudra (Śiva) is exceedingly rare—so rare that even the gods find it difficult to attain; therefore humans should not assume such devotion arises automatically, but should cultivate it through disciplined practice and steadfast intent.
Vāyu is speaking and emphasizing the exceptional difficulty of attaining pure, undistracted devotion to Rudra. The statement functions as instruction and valuation: it elevates steadfast bhakti as a high spiritual achievement and cautions that it is uncommon among humans without deliberate effort.